"New Service Model in North Lincolnshire relating to home visits"

I support a close friend who has suffered from mental health problems for many years. Until recently they had a visit at home from a support worker employed by the Trust. When the New Service Model was being introduced, there was no mention of home visits stopping.

Before Christmas my friends worker told them they were no longer going to come to their house for the visits. Instead my friend was told they would have to go to 344 Ashby Road for appointments. My friend was very worried about this, but I reassured them that they would still get the same quality of care and it was only the venue changing. I have been shocked to find out that each time my friend has been for an appointment they have been seen in a different room.

Sometimes a meeting room, sometimes a consulting room, sometimes someone’s office and the most shocking was a room that consisted of a stack of boxes of files, piled up. I cannot see how these appointments can be therapeutic with this range of rooms that are not warm and friendly from their description.

Another concern I have is that my friend took a turn for the worst and was not really safe to be out crossing roads or catching buses, yet they were still made to attend 344 Ashby Road for support.

There also seems to be some confusion in my opinion as to the criteria used to select patients who get home visits and those who are expected to go to 344 Ashby Road. Through talking to a range of other carers, I was shocked to learn that a number of patients who spend the week driving themselves around in their own cars and leading very active lives still get home visits. There are also a number of patients who have never had home visits even when unwell.

I am a project manager with a wide range of experience and feel that the Trust clearly has not planned this project well. If you are going to change a policy and expect patients to attend a centre for appointments of this nature you should make sure that there are appropriate facilities in place first. Also there should be clear protocols for decision making on who gets home visits and at what stage a home visits is more appropriate than putting a patient’s life at risk by expecting them to travel a long way on buses and crossing busy roads to get support.