"Awful"

Having been on the eating disorder unit for several months I feel I have to say something about this 'hospital'. The consultants on eating disorder unit (there are two) will treat you nicely when you first arrive , encouraging you to open up and be vulnerable under their care. However, once you've gained weight this changes very quickly. You're told you have to make constant progress, and if you don't you're threatened with being transferred to another hospital. My admission was filled with transfer threats (once my consultant gave me a set amount of time in which to progress to the transition unit, if I failed to do this she said she would automatically discharge me from the hospital). I was not ready. I wanted staff to be patient with me but instead I was bombarded with threats of transfer or discharge.

Staff also have problems with boundaries. As someone with a diagnosed attachment disorder boundaries are crucial for me to feel safe and supported. However some staff were VERY relaxed on the boundaries front. One used my mobile number to find me on Facebook (which is a serious offence I could very well take higher up...) , made me feel she wanted to talk to me by doing this and then proceeded to block me. Other staff gave hugs, then withdrew affection abruptly. Others appeared to favouritise certain patients and some blurted out private and confidential information in front of other patients.

This hospital left me with more problems then I went in with. After spending some time at an NHS institution I really see the difference in the professionalism and level of care that was offered to me. No threats of transferring me or prematurely discharging me. No attachment issues, staff very firm on boundaries. No fear tactics to enforce compliance.

Overall I would say the EDU at Hayes grove left me scarred and afraid of needing to go back into hospital. I can't really say anything positive about this hospital and I'm afraid to say that I've found NHS hospitals to be far better. Don't waste your money coming here - be warned that if you do you may well regret it for a long time.