"Weak Management, Key Staff Shortages and Poor ..."

Sadly, given we have an ill teenager, we have frustrations with this hospital with regard to our Sectioned child.

In the period our child has been there we have NOT been spoken (despite requests to do so)to by the lead consultant / Psychiatrist and it is proving very frustrating to get structured updates on the details of the treatment, how long it will go on for, and how our child is progressing. The hospital seem content to allow nurses to ring with updates "cares the same", "child is still same level of risk", which is not a constructive detailed approach.

Parents are intelligent and would like to see a joined up transparent treatment plan, ideally in a matrix that is easy to follow. Parents would like to know details of the last weeks therapies, forthcoming weeks therapies, an explanation as to the scale and range of drugs being prescribed to children, and the ability to meet fact to face with key doctor leads rather than varying nurses.

The hospital appears to currently NOT have a resident psychologist, there has been a vacancy for two months and no interim measures are in place. Therefore talking therapies are happening, but not at Psychologist level.

Further the hospital has lost some of our daughters belongings, failed to act on our child self ear piercing whilst in secure care at the hospital with used earrings (all sorts of health risks), and this is unacceptable for a child who is supposed to being watched for risk of self harm. The ward blamed another ward for this and didn't seem to realise that parents judge a hospital for holistic treatment and it is unacceptable to shrug shoulders and say it didn't happen on our ward. Risk of Aids or hepatitis from dirty shared earrings!

When you visit there is a degree of hit or miss in terms of the time it takes reception to make contact with the ward and for the ward to come and take you to your child. 25 minutes and three calls from reception to the ward was the most recent experience and this was at visiting time.

It is also clear on the wards that some children (and our child is not innocent at this) are able to stay up all night, be disruptive, and disturb the treatment and sleep of other patients. It appears that the hospitals hands are tied in how these disruptors are managed, but it is frustrating to see a degree of acceptance of poor behaviours.

In summary the hospital is clean, there are plenty of lower grades staff, but it just appears that the hospital and lead doctors do not have the ability to properly communicate with parents and be transparent about care. Above all like most of the NHS adolescent services there is a real weakness in the continuity of of Psychologist staffing. We suggest the hospital works at this and I am quite happy to revise this opinion when I see evidence of change.

We have not formally complained to the hospital, but staff on the ward know our frustrations with regard to these matters but as yet we see no evidence of change.