"Maple Ward/Beech"

My stay on Maple and Beech had both positive and negative elements to them. There were quite a lot of concerns at this time one of which being that there were difficulties obtaining regular staff so we found we had a lot of agency and no continuity of care for this reason. I also made a written complaint which was not taken seriously, despite my upset and clearly having mental capacity at this time. The regular HCA’s were faultless. They have a great team of healthcare assistants at Woodbourne. They committed to finding activities to preoccupy the mind and spent time getting to know the patients- their likes, dislikes, their mental health conditions, their triggers and when they were upset they made time to encourage participation and reduce isolation. They were always approachable.

There were a handful of nurses that made you feel comfortable. Some were approachable, some you could talk to if you felt distressed and made a positive impact. There were others that you felt afraid to approach, which is quite disappointing.

The level of care planning was good however you did not feel involved in the creation or review of your care plan. Which lead to errors on the plan. That is my only suggestion for improvement of care plans.

MDT meetings were your place to be involved in your recovery. There are some amazing doctors within these wards. I am incredibly lucky to have them involved with my recovery. There is a doctor whom myself and others did not enjoy seeing. Their approach was wrong and led to distress. Patients need reassurance and encouragement, there were times that myself and others did not feel we got that- instead we got sarcasm and occasional ‘digs’ which did not reflect on my illness at all, instead just caused offence.

The wards are multi-sex but I prefer that it was, personally. It created more of a natural feel to an unnatural environment.

The domestic staff were great too. They were non-judgemental, polite, friendly and good at what they do. They conversed with patients and had a good sense of humour.

Beech still had the HDU feel about it. Very clinical and cold, unlike maple it has hard mattresses and removable bathroom doors, which fell off from time to time. That was comical but also a concern for privacy being maintained. However, you have access to TV and a double bed in the rooms.

Visitors were encouraged which was a positive. Family involvement in the care and participating in MDT meetings was also taken into consideration, despite us being adults. I felt that was very important and allowed parents to feel included and updated, especially as they know us best and will continue care upon discharge.

Overall, the stay was average. There are improvements that need to be made and I hope they’re taken into consideration as the wards have the potential to become good facilities for patients enduring acute mental health difficulties.