"Poor clinical care, "nice" people"

I have now been under the care of the trust for three years following a medical discharge from the military for MH issues.

I had been fully diagnosed by a senior military medical board and had been recieving support and treatment for over 6 months.

Upon being transferred I saw a psychiatrist who decided after half an hour that the senior military team (two of whom both lecture and teach at RCL as well as provide treatment and advice to the MOD) were wrong and diagnosed with with a psychosis instead.

I battled the diagnosis until 2018 and despite being hospitalised twice where other trust psychiatrists agreed with the military diagnosis, it wasn't until August I received a formal second opinion confirming that infact

I did have the condition the military diagnosed all along and the anti psychotic medication had been a waste of time.

The staff at the CMHT were, to me at least, "nice" but then so are the local clergymen.

I saw the team for mental health support and received a standard of care that falls far below an acceptable standard as it was degraded not through legitimate mistake or accident but through short sighted, pre conceived notions in the mind of the consultant and consistent failures over more than two years for his colleagues to challenge what they themselves had determined to be an incorrect diagnosis.

I wouldn't expect physical health clinicians to allow a college to provide treatment for a broken arm for two years when they all knew the patient had a broken leg, unfortunately a culture of covering for each others mistakes and not wanting to rock the boat puts patients at risk. In my case my condition developed into having an additional severe depression as a result of a feeling of helplessness, injustice and neglect and I tried to end my life resulting in irreparable organ damage despite the best efforts of AnE. AnE staff shouldn't have ever been put in the position of having to try to repair physical damage resulting from extensive failures of their mental health colleagues.

I find my GP has been considerably more helpful and supportive but my strongest recommendation would be to access a service called the Big White Wall if you are eligible. I'd always suggest supplementing any car this trust provides for MH issues with support from outside or charitable organisations to ensure any failures in care resulting in a worsening of a condition can independently identified by a third party who can hopefully take preventative measures and avoid long term deterioration and unnecessary, suffering.