"Left abandoned"

Hello

I’m really sorry to hear of the description you’ve given of your contact with services which don’t appear to have been helpful to you.

Firstly, you've commented that referring you to the CMHT shouldn't be an option. I have been in contact with the Locality Manager for Working Age Adult Community Mental Health Teams. (WAA CMHT) to try and provide you with a more helpful explanation.

There are very clear rules about confidentiality and the sharing of information. Please be assured that even if your university has referred you (any member of the public can phone the single point of access (SPA) team to refer to CMHT)- information would only be shared with your University regarding your on-going care if you gave your consent to allow them this to happen.

The standard for contact with the CMHT is usually 15 days and this can be via telephone conversation or face to face.

I am sorry you had to contact the team to enquire about the progress of your referral. I know it must be difficult when you need support and the response doesn't feel timely. We think that all referrals are important and so we ensure they are screened and discussed thoroughly by our multi-professional team to ensure we are offering the most appropriate care; unfortunately this can sometimes take a little time.

In terms of the decision making about staying in Leeds, it sounds like your university advised this as a condition of your student status. If that is the case I'm not able to comment on the action they have taken.

However, we do know that families matter and our jobs are made much easier when people we are working with have family to support their recovery. As an organisation, we are working towards improving standards for carer and family involvement.

I'll be honest with you and say that 'faking being ok' to get your freedom back in the longer term won't be helpful to you and I'm disappointed that your contact so far has made you feel that any therapeutic intervention is now just another assessment you will be graded on and need to pass.

Please be assured that we see you as a person and not just an assessment. Please allow the services to work with you. It doesn't appear to have flowed very well the first time and I can see that you're really disappointed with the way you feel you have been treated, but give it another chance; both with the university support services and the clinical services.

We don't always get things right the first time as professionals but I've shared your experience with the CMHT and the Practice learning and development team who also work with students to ensure that your feedback influences future practice.

If you need further help or explanation about how to get the best out of the support systems available to you then please get in contact with our Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) on 0800 0525 790 or email palslypft@nhs.net and we can look into this in more detail and, if you wish, give you a fuller response.

With kind regards

Linda Rose

Head of Nursing and Patient Experience