"Mental Health Crisis care and Assesments"

So many people write on here and nothing ever changes-in fact I think it has got much worse.

Because so many people are discharged back to the GP there isn't enough support. GPs are mostly part time and have 10 minutes and in my case my GP had never even met me before and I see a different person every time. So when my mental health gets bad again all she can do is call the crisis team who see to decide everything including if someone needs a hospital bed or a crisis house or them to visit. There is a 6 mnth wait to see a psychiatrist,

So what happens in my experience is like this the GP calls the crisis team and they say they will come out and assess but often that takes days and if you need a woman to assess you they will cancel the assessment when they don't have them available (I think 2 have to come out apparently). The GP is told this and thinks it will be ok but in my case they didn't make any contact at all then the GP calls again and they say I have to got to A&E which is a really awful place to be waiting sometimes up to 72 hrs if sectioned by police and still waiting fro a MH team. They don't have ANY beds so there is nowhere to lie down which is cruel and a breach of human rights act and they just leave you there with security guards who threaten you if you want to leave. They should have a nurse there all the time. Royal Free is a really dirty place to be and no privacy at all. UCH is frightening as they lock you away from the world and you cant get out at all even when you are bot sectioned. So I would say to anyone who is in MH crisis NEVER go to A&E as you will get treated very badly and then if they send you to a ward if it is in Highgate like Sapphire ward it will be very noisy with agency staff shouting at everyone and no fresh air,

There are crisis hses one is for women only but my friend says they don't take people who are very ill or psychotic and no one knows what the admission criteria is as it is not published on the website. I have been to the other crisis hses but one time they didn't have a bed at all and I got so ill I was sent to another London hospital sectioned and then the Rivers crisis hse wouldn't take me as I was out of area and they prioritised C&I pts to free up hospital beds. The other one they leave you alone and you are meant to join in with activities downstairs but often you are too ill to be in groups and then they say you are not trying hard enough. The crisis hses say you can only stay a few days.

There should be a round the clock crisis service not the 9-5 version now and I am told they are recording all pt calls but not telling pts about this, Management should listen to these calls as then they would see how bad they are, They need to employ not just more staff but really good ones who know how to listen and be supportive and who can send an hour on the phone, There is NO drop in all night place like Leeds or Manchester have or other places where MIND runs all night cafes. I heard a manager laugh and say why would people need that when they should go to A*E as they are ill which shows why C&I don't ever improve I suppose,