"Appalling treatment A&E for women in mental health crisis"

I had read and heard of other complaints about women being forcibly restrained by all male staff when in mental distress and that complaints made before. So I was frightened when they said my mother had been taken there by ambulance.

She wasn't sectioned so was legally free to leave unless they wanted to. There were NO nurses at all just 2, male security guards standing outside the door which they had shut so she couldn't open as there is no handle on the inside.

By the time we got there she still 3 hrs later hadn't been seen clinically at all not even to triage or do basic observations. She is extremely claustrophobic has been a victim of abuse and was obviously in extreme distress. Security guards were rude and aggressive towards us until we invited them to call the police as at least she would then be safe.

When we pushed past she had been left curled up on a filthy rubber matress, no blanket, no pillow, no food and water and absolutely no way of summoning help as no alarm bells.

I feel It is disgusting that those who are violent or drunk get clinical care yet a frail terrified woman with no violence history gets manhandled repeatedly by male security staff.

Why aren't they chaperones? Why wasn't she allowed to be in dignity? The nursing sister in charge actually said to us we don't want mental health patients here we don't have the staff. 

In Islington the A& E is ONLY MH place as she knows. To leave someone that distressed and to allow male security staff to use language and aggression towards her I feel  is disgusting. Where were the nurses? Where were the MH team? Disgusting. . CQC have since told us that the MH area of the A& E here failed their inspectione.