Firstly I would like to say how grateful we are to all the staff, who are doing a very difficult job. Our son was admitted with an acute mental health crisis, and I would like to make some constructive comments from a relatives point of view as to how things could be improved. When our son was first admitted, there was no initial contact phone call from the ward explaining what was what, and giving us any names of who to speak to, for example the name of our sons psychiatrist. I found out from the internet that we should have been sent/given a carers and relatives welcome pack, and so we asked for this when we went, but it wouldnt have been offered otherwise. A copy was found, and it was supposed to have the names of relevant people on there, but none of these were filled in. When we phoned, we were answered by ward staff, some of whom I found very difficult to understand due to very heavy accents, although they were all very helpful. We had to ask to speak to someone in charge about our sons care before we found out about the weekly ward round and found out that we could attend. This was very helpful, but no-one had volunteered this information. When we did attend (with our sons consent), it was good to find out what was going on and speak with the psychiatrist, but at no point did we have a chance to speak to staff without our son being present. Bearing in mind that we are in effect his carers as he still lives at home we felt that we should have been included in any discussions about his discharge without him being present. It may not be suitable for him to return home and we werent given the opportunity to talk about this without him being there. When visiting, the room on the ward was extremely bare - bare walls and just a few squishy armchairs, and a bleak untended area of scrub outside. While I understand the need for safety, It would have seemed more welcoming if there was something else to look at - a mural on the walls would have been positive, or a stick-on poster or two. Generally staff were very friendly and warm, which was much appreciated at a time of acute distress for us all. I hope this feedback is useful - its a very strange and frightening time for relatives, and giving them all the information they need can help to make it seem less frightening.