"Brilliant advocacy service"

I initially used Sheffield advocacy hub 2 years ago, during my 1st inpatient admission to an eating disorder unit. My advocate was really understanding & incredibly helpful in aiding me navigate being on a section, such as attending my tribunals & helping me fill in paperwork, as well as helping me be part of my treatment to get better care, by speaking on my behalf in ward rounds when I was too nervous & helping me write a letter of complaint, which was successful in getting my needs met.

I then recontacted the service again this year after being placed on a section 2, & they were more than happy for me to use the same advocate as last time, which was incredibly important to me. From past experience, I did have a fairly good idea about being sectioned & the appeal process, however this time it was a section 2 & being in general hospital was quite different, so there were lots of little things my advocate was able to help with. Furthermore, they tried their best to see if they could visit in person despite the Covid restrictions, & when they couldn't, phone contact worked really well.

I was then transferred to an inpatient unit out of area, so thought I would have to switch advocates which would've been difficult for me, however my advocate looked into it & was able to continue to work with me, which was so valuable; this was also the case once I was regraded to informal. Towards the end of my stay, I no longer really needed their help in terms of my care, however they continued to check in with me for the rest of my time there & also just after discharge, which was really nice.

Overall this service was indispensable during my times in hospitals & I can never thank them enough for giving me a voice about my care & rights. I would highly recommend them to anyone in a similar position.