My friend who I support has had very bad mental health problems for over 20 years. He has psychosis and often doesn't take his medicine so gets ill. The police often go to his home and when they are there, they ring the crisis teams and ask for him to be assessed. The police then have to call me because in Camden they say they don't come and assess people or you have to wait a few days. They also told the police and the GP that there was no point assessing him as there were no beds. This has happened lots of times and to everyone I know who has to deal with the mental health trust. They always say they cant come out and the person has to go to A&E. But when the police come for a welfare check when he is ill he gets much more worse and has to be taken away in handcuffs because he is then frightened. This is wrong. He is not a criminal, he is a very ill man and they refuse to help him. He has been sectioned lots of times for many months sometimes so they know he is not well and even his psychiatrist at Peckwater Centre, said they could not get beds. It is terrible. he can't go to a crisis house as they don't take psychosis patients.
The Mental Health Trust know this. I have complained, his elderly mother complained and his social worker in a meeting said there were no beds any more. If you make a written complaint then everyone knows that the patient will suffer and he can't go anywhere else for help can he? I don't know anyone who thinks the crisis teams and the section team in Camden are any good. What is the point of them? They also refuse to work with him at home anyway, so he has to go to hospital. The person who writes responses here and tells people to e mail sounds like an admin person or manager who doesnt know what really goes on. Someone told me that it would be a very good idea to undercover film or record the crisis team when people try ring them. I think it would be a good idea as well
"crisis care and no hospital beds"
About: Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust London NW1 0PE
Posted by Peter SJ (as ),
Do you have a similar story to tell?
Tell your story & make a difference ››
Responses
See more responses from Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
See more responses from Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
See more responses from Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust