I have had a very mixed bag of experiences at the PHC, some of which have only served to make my mental health worse. I should first of all say that I have found the Crisis Team absolutely wonderful and very helpful. They had me on a 3-day treatment plan when I was suicidal and then referred me for the Emotional First Aid group, which was brilliant. Some members of staff within the team have also gone above and beyond to keep in contact with and continue to help me after my EFA sessions ended, which I am hugely grateful for. However, my experiences with the Community Psychiatrists (including the Locum who I saw yesterday) have been for the most part incredibly upsetting, unhelpful, and traumatic. I initially saw a psychiatrist at the centre in September 2017, but as my symptoms had abated by then (I had been referred 6 months earlier) she couldn't do much. I saw another consultant in December 2018 and he was horribly dismissive - when asking to be assessed for a condition I felt I fit the criteria for and would explain my symptoms, he refused on the basis of "you can't use it as an excuse" and "other people have it worse". Myself and my husband found him very rude and dismissive. He agreed to refer me for a second opinion, DBT, and to the CMHT, but by May 2019 nothing had happened. I called to chase this up and was given an appointment with a Locum the next day. However, when I attended both myself and my husband found her extremely vague, arrogant, and unhelpful. When I became upset that nothing had been done yet she showed no empathy and just kept repeating "I can't answer your questions because I don't actually work here", and just told me to go back to the original consultant once he'd returned from holiday - despite the fact that I asked for a second opinion BECAUSE I couldn't bear to interact with him again due to his treatment of me. In both cases, I ended up leaving the appointment extremely upset. I am now considering not continuing with seeing a psychiatrist ever again even though I need to, because 2/3 of the ones I've seen have made me worse and I don't feel they have any desire to actually help me. Myself and my husband are complaining to PALS but I wanted to leave this review to make it clear the sort of impact that an uncaring or cold healthcare professional can have on patients. I feel abandoned and let down by Mental Health Services at this point and am losing hope of ever getting long-term support. When you are dealing with vulnerable people who may be at risk of things like suicide, this is a deplorable way to treat people and make them feel. Original Comment Report...
Reply from Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Tue, 14 May 2019 11:46:30 +0100
Thank you for taking the time to post your comments on NHS Choices. We are sorry that you have not had a good experience with the Consultant. Please contact Patient Experience to discuss this matter further. Our phone number is 01529 222265.
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