Reply from Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Tue, 14 May 2019 11:17:00 +0100

Hi Thank you for providing your feedback and I am sorry that you have had the experience you have described. It doesn't sound helpful and though I am always appreciative of feedback as a way of learning to improve I'm still disappointed that a member of staff representing our services complained to a colleague about you asking questions about your own care provision. I know that sometimes when staff are really busy, having to do the work to find a solution to an issue raised can feel like an additional or even inconvenient task- but it is what we are here for and I don't expect anyone to feel that they are being treated as an inconvenience. I do apologise for this and the service manager will reinforce the standards and behaviours expected of all of our staff to his teams. There is also a learning here in terms of the lack of information around your appointment. I will ask the service manager to review the current system in place in addition to sharing and reflecting on this posting with his teams. If you would like to discuss your feedback further with the service manager, please contact the PALs service by calling 0800 052 5790 or via email on pals.lypft@nhs.net who will support you in making contact with the leadership team of the service.

Reply from Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Tue, 07 May 2019 13:52:00 +0100

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

I left a review and was told that.there would be a response in 10 working days. 4 weeks have passed or 20 working days...no response. It seems like staff try to be deceptive..and pretend to care about feedback. What does it say about a place that misleads the public?