Mental health services are labelled as poor!

How far have mental health services fallen?

After the Care Quality Commission inspectors rated the service run by the Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust as ‘requires improvement.

The problem is that the service is almost non-existent throughout the UK, not just in Cornwall.

People have also been paying privately for mental health care, and I’m one of those who have had private treatment and treatments from other free services. The NHS let me go last summer as they don’t have enough staff, and my doctor even admitted that there are no psychiatrists in South East Cornwall.

Lack of funding has been b.amed for this. However, the government said it will now employ someone on 100k a year. That’s diverse. I find this disgusting as I have witnessed that the current mental health team are diverse, so what’s the point in spending this? The money would be better spent on research and wages for a few mental health nurses. 

The NHS organisation in charge of mental health services in Cornwall has been blasted for having facilities that are not fit for purpose and not enough staff to do the job. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as requiring improvement following an inspection in March.

Across four categories, organisations are inspected, including whether services are safe, effective, responsive and well-led. The Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust was told to improve. However, they also recognised that staff are caring and responsive to patients’ needs and awarded an outstanding mark.

CQC inspectors carried out a short notice announced inspection of the trust’s acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care unit, community services for adults of working age, specialist community mental health services for children and young people and child and adolescent inpatient wards of this trust.

Following the inspection, the rating for the acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units were downgraded from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’ overall. 

The rating for safe changed from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’, effective, responsive and well-led have dropped from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’.

This is all happening under the watch of tory MP Sheryll Murray, who sent back a standard letter signed by her secretary when I sent her a letter about improving mental health services in South East Cornwall. 

We would love to hear your stories about not being able to get help on the NHS. Please comment below or on one of our social media pages

No update from the Mental Health team

update mental health team logo

I’m still waiting for an update from the mental health team.

It’s been two weeks when I last visited the Mental Health Team at Bolitho in Penzance, Cornwall and despite them telling my father and I that we would hear from them within a week, yet again this hasn’t materialised.

The problem with Mental Treatments on the NHS are due to lack of funding as we all know.

However, but this doesn’t help and if anything it delays my recovery.

If you aren’t suicidal or depressed people often assume that you are ok and not a risk to yourself or others but in my case, this isn’t always true.

Do you think that being lied to by the NHS over how they plan to treat your mental health makes people feel better?

We arrived at the session armed with questions, but there was no point in asking them because the two ladies I saw included an independent assessor aloneside a work experience college student who sat through the entire session on silence and when the assessor asking her if she had any questions she said she didn’t.

She never even bothered to question things? If this student then goes on to become a mental health nurse, what does this tell you about the future of the mental health team under the NHS?

Why so many layers of so-called professionals who tell you different stories to what happens in reality?

On my very first assessment I went to see a mental health nurse who then told me that she would be my CPN and after refusing me therapy for almost a year, finally told me she would also be my counsellor and relucatently gave me some CAT sessions before cutting the therapy short, going off sick and then letting me go from the mental health team.

I suffer from frustration and irritability which leads me to do the unexpected or unthinkable that people who I associate with would never do.

Don’t ever dare me to do something such as dance on a bar or climb a scaffolding because you know what happens next?

I will stand up for something I disagree with and rant and rave until I get what I want and if I don’t, there’s literally hell to pay!

Luckily these past two weeks have been so busy; I’ve barely had time to rant about the poor or lack of Mental Health support that I’m currently receiving from the NHS.

I’m seriously considering getting out a private health insurance.

HIIT class log

Last Tuesday, I went to my half hour HIIT Class and a swim before I met my sister in Truro for some dinner, and to watch The Addams Family at the Hall for Cornwall.

Even with a line-up which includes the fantastic ex-Eastenders actress Sam Womack, Coronation Street star Les Dennis and Tom Fletcher’s talented sister Carrie Hope Fletcher, I was very impressed with the acting and the singing, and I thought the show was better than I expected.

I don’t usually watch shows, as I prefer going to concerts and watching bands, but this performance was so impressive I want to see another show.

I’m thinking of treating my mum to a West End show as we never got a chance to see a show on Broadway when we were in New York due to strikes, and we never went to see a show when we took Dad out to New York because they aren’t his thing.

On Wednesday I was busy catching up with work and packing.

Unfortunately, I missed this month’s Bipolar group, but it’s in my diary for next month.

The only problem is travelling to Penzance for 2 pm in the summer can be a nightmare with lots of holiday makers, especially if the weather is bad.

I don’t tend to venture out too far in the car during the summer months because Cornwall’s roads are the worst for getting around with the regular daily traffic let alone when they have to deal with the summer traffic on top of that.

Cornwall Council is also the worst for digging up roads during the summer months or for not finishing roadworks in time for the summer.

On Thursday, I left my house at 6 am to drive up to Exeter for the weekend to look after my niece and nephew because my brother-in-law was playing at a gig in Guernsey and my sister was watching him.

Friday, I had my nephew and took him to pick up my niece from school.

Mum and Dad arrived in Exeter just as we were coming home from the school run, so me and my nephew went to the chip shop for tea.

We started watching Snoopy until it got a bit late and we sent the kids to bed and promised them they could watch the movie on Saturday.

Dad left to go and see my Grandparents in Aldershot before we were awake.

Me, mum and the kids drove to Lidl for a few bits and bobs, and then we went to the Donkey Sanctuary.

Donkey sanctuary

On the way back I stopped in Waitrose and treated us to Strawberries, Meringues and Ice cream.

We then went back to Donkey sanctuarymy sister’s for pudding, and we finished watching the movie.

On Sunday, we decided to have a chill out day, and mum cleaned my sister’s house.

My sister and brother-in-law arrived back in the early evening. On Monday, We got the kids ready for school, and my brother-in-law drove them in.

My mum, sister and I went into town for a bit, and we got some petrol before going home for some lunch.

It was then time to pick the kids up from school, and we left in the evening to drive back to Cornwall.

On Tuesday, I got up and walked to the gym at 7.40am.

I did a tough HIIT workout session which included push-ups, planks, jumping, running, boxing, lifting and twisting.

After that, I went for a swim, then into the steam room because I’ve heard its good for the skin and I chilled in the Jacuzzi before getting showed and changed and walking home.

I attempted to do some work in the afternoon, but because I was feeling dizzy, so mum told me to come up the chemist and shops with her to get some fresh air.

Today and Yesterday I have had terrible sciatica and a bad headache which has prevented me from working as fast as I would have liked, but I’m getting there.

I hope to catch up tomorrow as mum’s on holiday next week and we are spending the weekend with my sister and the kids again

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I’m hoping an update from the Mental Health team will contact me sometime soon so I can finally get a diagnosis, the correct medication and maybe some relevant therapy that I will find useful.

How long have you or your loved ones had to wait to hear from the Mental Health team after being assessed?

Comment below, email admin@looneychickblog.co.uk or join in the discussions on ou social media pages.

Back for mental health treatment

mental health treatment checklist

Today I went back for mental health treatment less than 12 months after I was discharged from the mental health team.

I saw a mental health assessor and a student who was observing the session.

Last time I came I had an appointment with a CPN who also gave me therapy, so this time I wasn’t prepared for this.

The session started with the assessor talking to me about the Mental Health Service, and she gave me some leaflets about how they work and another booklet with numbers I can call in a crisis.

We started talking about my highs and lows, my sleep, my appetite and a bit about my childhood in length and talking about how my mind is racing 24/7 like a bomb waiting to explode and my dilutions that my work is excellent even though its probably at its worst.

Two years ago I didn’t want to wake up, let along get up and do an hours workout in the gym followed by a session in the steam room to help clear the pores in my skin, a swim and the Jacuzzi or a HIIT session followed by a swim.

The more physically fit I am, the more mentally fit I feel.

What happens next?

The accessor told me that she would be in touch next week to book an outpatients appointment potentially and to see a Psychiatrist and that they will relook into my medications and hopefully get me a diagnosis.

However, she also mentioned that she couldn’t make any promises because she is going on holiday next week.

When I was first admitted to the mental health team, I was placed with a CPN who at first was reluctant to give me any therapy as I was working with a private therapist at that time and the CPN also told me that there was a huge waiting list for treatments.

I was on the CMHT for just over a year, and at that time I only saw a psychiatrist twice despite them telling me they need more time to see me on a manic high before they could officially diagnose me.

The CPN gave me 11 out of the 12 CAT sessions she recommended and gave a brief diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder.

They said I might have a Borderline personality disorder as well as Bipolar 2 or Cyclothymia but hadn’t seen me enough to confirm or rule it out.

Please let us know your experiences with your local mental health teams?

Comment below or join in our discussions on our social networking channels.

Outlook South West unacceptable update

 

Outlook South West sent one of our viewers an unacceptable letter and is happy for me to print this information about an appalling update.

On Monday morning, an unacceptable update from Outlook South West arrived.

The person who received this letter has given their permission for me to post on here.

I was referred to them by my GP after the Mental Health team in Penzance in Cornwall decided to release me from the MHT late last year without a proper diagnosis due to NHS funding.

The letter below states that Outlook South West has got nowhere with the mental health team and isn’t sure which treatments are best for me so they too decided to wash their hands of the situation by discharging me because they have stated that they couldn’t get hold of me.

Outlook South West unacceptable update letter

1: At no point have Outlook South West left an answerphone message on the home or mobile, and there were no missed calls on any phones!

2: They could have corresponded by letter, just like they did with the correspondence received!

3: They could have contacted the GP and asked them to follow this up!

Instead, all they do is pass the buck.

There’s a lot of recent talk about mental health on TV, the news, and even local Cornish radio such as the Laurence Reed show on BBC Radio Cornwall. But in reality, talking doesn’t change facts.

For example, would Alistair Campbell and Freddie Flintoff had come clean about their mental health problems before they were given top jobs?

No, they wouldn’t because of discrimination, which sadly still exists.

Is it any wonder that Cornwall has the highest suicide in the country if there isn’t any help or support available on the NHS?

Another thing that I find atrocious is the fact that patients in Cornwall are unable to see their doctor and face long waiting lists of over a month.

They could go and see another doctor, but going to a different GP causes more anxiety and frustration because of the inconsistency.

Let me know if you have any problems getting an appointment with your GP or with local mental health teams?

Is it just Cornwall or do other parts of the country also have this problem?

I am posting this in the hope that this blog can raise awareness and get things done as they should. Proper treatment should be available for all.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar to Outlook South West?

Not just the wealthy, famous, and privileged!

Please comment below in the comments section or join in the discussions on our social media channels.