"A truly awful hospital"

My partner was initially admitted to Langley Green (Opal Ward) as a voluntary patient in August 2015. She refused all medication and despite my repeated requests no action was taken to change her status under S3 of the Mental Health Act for some 4 weeks during which time her condition continued to deteriorate. Almost all of the staff I spoke with were unhelpful and disinterested with the default response being "we will call you back" something which never happened.

Eventually her supervising clinician did reccomend sectioning under S3. However, the psychiatric social worker part of the team who reviewed this decision decided that the grounds were insufficient for my partner to be sectioned and a further 7 days passed before a subsequent assessment determined that S3 was applicable. As the next of kin I gave consent to this and was informed that I would receive a letter setting out the details of the sectioning decision, a letter which failed to materialize.

After my partner was sectioned I continued to receive a lack of information from the ward staff, and on at least two occasions had to demand in person details of what was happening. Almost no interest was taken in what I had to say with regard to previous medications to which my partner had responded.

In early November it was determined that my partner was fit for discharge. This was the only occasion when staff on Opal Ward made any systematic attempt to contact me and the overriding impression was that they wanted me to come and collect my partner as they could not get rid of her quick enough.

On the evening I arrived to collect her, the supervising clinician was leaving and could not be bothered to spend even 10 minutes to discuss my partners condition. I was given the standard Opal Ward brush off of "they will call you tomorrow". Suffice to say true to form no such call ever came. At the discharge meeting it was clear that my partner was still unwell, she admitted that she had no intention of complying with her depot injection and did not want to be discharged. One member of staff at the discharge meeting was arrogant and insulting almost treating the entire thing as a joke.

Almost 1 week to the day after her discharge my partner suffered another psychotic episode. She was initially admitted to Mill View Hospital in Hove but then transferred back to Langley Green and the disgrace that is Opal Ward where doubtless the entire sorry saga will continue to play itself out. As ever it is impossible to get any information out of staff (not helped my a seeming inability on the part of main desk staff to switch on the out of hours auto switchboard with the result that calls to the main number ring and ring endlessly).

My next stop will be to make a formal complaint about the inadequate treatment afforded to my partner and the overall attitude and unprofessionalism of staff on Opal Ward. In conclusion this hospital and Opal Ward in particular is a disgrace.