"A lack of care, compassion, dignity and help!"

The person I care for has suffered serious mental health problems for many years and has been repeatedly diagnosed by different doctors. Two years ago, due to personal reasons, he moved home and was told to go to one of Kent and Medway NHS Trust Mental Health Teams. Initially they turned him away, however with some help from other officials, they agreed to see him. From day one they had called him paranoid, a liar, told him there is nothing wrong with him. Yet he has been seen by four psychiatrists, two counselors, one trainee counsellor, two social workers and two GPs. He has been prescribed numerous anti depressants, and other tablets, and kicked off and on the books three times. When I complained, I was told by the main social worker (who already said there was nothing wrong with him) that suddenly he did have many problems however these were never recorded in his medical records. The same social worker was actually telling the psychiatrists what to say, right in front of the patient. After further investigation, it turned out they couldn't write anything in his notes as they never had them in the first place. When asked, they said it was because they did not have his old address. I informed them that this was not true, as I had sent them some other notes that contained all the contact information they needed (via recorded delivery). The excuse changed to 'this is the cul de sac of Kent, we don't get anything here'. This coming from a supposedly trained doctor. The person I voluntarily care for without being paid or helped in any way has been shoved from pillar to post and to this day Dec 2008, we are trying to get help from a system set up to help people, but which actually seems to be a system set up to destroy people. In my experience, the complaints department and procedure is a complete farce, which the organisation itself ignores. In my view, their private and confidential rule was blatantly ignored by the staff involved in this case. [This posting has been edited in accordance with our editorial policy]