Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT)

Feedback

• Very stretched service, not enough support

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 23rd August 2019

  There is a terrible lack of help and very little opportunities for support in a crisis, especially young children. My grandson has autism and has had very little help. He was meant to have a taxi to school in Norwich but it fell through at the last minute. A support worker used to come out once a week but that's not very much support

  
  
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• Took over a year for my son to be seen

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 15th August 2019

  Mental health support for teenagers is really poor; my son is now being seen at Thurlow House but it's taken over a year since his initial crisis. We liaised with the school and his GP to get help but communication is really poor and I have ended up having to do all the chasing up; I have spent hours on the phone. Practical help and support is desperately needed.

  
  
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• Understaffed

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 31st July 2019

  So understaffed that you can't even get seen by the crisis team. My friends were on the wellbeing service's waiting list for months for a group session. I would ideally like to see Dialectical Behavioural Therapy but it's very rare that they offer it in Norfolk.

  
  
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• Support for children is limited

  2

  Submitted by Anonymous 30th July 2019

  So many children need support with their mental health and there's just not enough support.

  
  
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• Should test people for toxicity

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 30th July 2019

  Why don't they test people for toxicity when they arrive in the hospital? They should test them first before treating them. Mental health is a big issue. There's a new disease every year that they think they can treat with a drug and make money from it. There needs to be targeted treatment for mental health. The system is corrupted from the top, there's a suppression of knowledge. The system isn't there to benefit the people.

  
  
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• Waiting 9/12 months for support is appalling

  2

  Submitted by Anonymous 30th July 2019

  You can access them but being told you have to wait 9/12 months is appalling. Self calming suicidal children is difficult and being told that school have to support them until they can get help from a professional put a big strain on the school. The Wellbeing service seems better but children only get access to that when they reach 16 years old.

  
  
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• Long wait but good support once in

  3

  Submitted by Anonymous 29th July 2019

  I was waiting 10 months to be allocated a case manager, but it was over a year in total before I was seen. I was referred through lots of different layers. Now that I am in the system though, the support is good.

  
  
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• Inadequate

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 29th July 2019

  Inadequacy in level of support - long wait times for help and issues with general accessibility of service

  
  
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• Not a confidential service

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 15th July 2019

  The counseling I received was by a person who did not listen. From my notes what I said in confidence was shared with at least 6 others be very careful what you say they can be VERY heavy handed should you say the wrong things.

  
  
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• Poor attitudes towards patients/service users

  1

  Submitted by Geoff Poole 27th June 2019

  Due to NSFT incompetence it took nearly a year to meet with a psychiatrist for a medication review, which wasn't very adequate. Staff seem oblivious to the trust's parlous state. Prior to discharge I was subjected to the "hard sell" of the Recovery College courses, despite previously telling staff in writing that the courses were not suitable for me. I came away with the impression that the trust and it's staff did not want to help me, and lacked the knowledge of how to do so anyway. I have decided not to use an services provided by NSFT. I've also decided to stop using medication.

• Reply from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT)

  Dear Mr Poole We apologise for your experience. To fully look into your complaint we invite you to contact us as we would happily go through the areas you have raised. In order to maintain confidentiality and your privacy, it would be inappropriate to respond fully to this feedback on this website. Therefore, please contact the Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) who will direct this on to staff to look into. Tel: 01603 421191 or email: pals@nsft.nhs.uk Sent on behalf of Liz Smith - Adult Community Mental health Team Deputy Service Manager.