Loved the retro feel of this hospital- chunks out of plaster, rusty sinks etc- and I got loads of great ward activities like cleaning my own room when I arrived because it hadnt been and was covered in dust, plastic wrappers and crisps. I got to wear flip flops in the shower to protect from filth, and use my own mug and cutlery so I knew they were clean. You get a real sense of commuity and sharing because theres only 1 working toilet for half a ward (other two faulty) and 1 shower between half a ward also. Mixed ward so supposed to have protected male and female spaces but this is not enforced so you get to always be with opposite sex. 1 lucky woman even got to use the female lounge as her own massive private bedroom which no other ladies could go in. The smokers get a fire escape to stand on, but luckily if it rains they can smoke inside the ward, so no smokers get to get heart disease too. It was great to see that certain patients were allowed to do activities with the occupational therapists, and even better that lots of patients werent invited so they understood they were worthless. Food is great- like being back with the delights of school food. Such a relief to get so much peace and quiet because the staff dont speak to you or try to work out with you how to manage mental health symptoms. Suicide alarms go off 7-13 times per day with people trying to kill themselves but noone died whilst I was there which shows how safe it is. Getting to attempt suicide lots is definitely the best treatment for everyone, instead of psychology because, as the psychologists explain, they cant treat you as an inpatient. The consultants are really good at being consistent- they wont change your meds even if youre badly symptomatic. Having been section 3d I was meant to have a load of aftercare from Crht but I didnt get this and was discharged without my meds- I phoned back to the ward but noone ever replied which is great because it all taught me to look after myself rather than depend on meds and outpatient support so thats got to be so great for my independance. Instead of acknowledging symptoms, they instead say its just bad behaviour- my PTSD attacks were reacted to by nurses as me behaving like a child, my depression made me lose weight but the consultant said I was using food to control people, my low mood and lack of energy from depression was staying in bedspace and limited engagement with staff- which is so helpful because once I knew I wasnt sick but was just pretending, I was really able to change and get over everything. Such a beacon of fantastic mental health care.

Superb establishment

I hope you never need their help, but if you do . . .