"Traumatized by Inpatient Care 2024"

About: Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust / Inpatient mental health care

(as a service user),

Many staff were unapproachable and I found on many occasions I had no one to talk to. Staff at Larimar ward/Ardenleigh Hospital often stayed in the office.  I could never find staff on site. 60% of the staff were rude to me. Cried in tears, feeling suicidal and no staff wanted to talk to me for minimum of 6 hours. Often felt I had no choice and called charities while in hospital. 

When the therapy team were on site it was helpful. 

The staff at the hospital seemed to have no understanding of eating disorders leading to them swearing at me when they found me being sick. 

When I started to complain about how I was being treated I found my weekly meals orders were going missing despite handing them over to staff.  

I was moved to another hospital in the middle of the night. The staff at Larimar didn't tell my social worker about the fact they were moving me to another hospital nor my family to where I was going. I was unprepared and was not informed by the Larimar staff that I would be leaving. The staff packed my bags and pushed me into a taxi, not giving me the opportunity to say goodbye to my friends. I had to complain quickly as they nearly left my mobile phone in their bank vault and when I said I wanted to get my books (which were worth a lot per book as they were special editions from abroad) the staff said we'll post it to you. They left my credit/bank cards at the hospital/still in the safe.  My books went missing.

 I managed to hide a knife in my bedroom. I was clearly not being monitored. My evidence will be sent to care commission.

I remember crying to my family wishing they would discharge me from that hospital. 

One of the senior nurses of the Larimar ward was rude and condescending. Told me I needed to take responsibility for myself but I was too busy looking after the other patients. This lead to me not focusing on my own wellbeing in fact I struggled to understand how I should be taking responsibility for myself when staff put me on 1-1 every 15min suicidal watch. If I was supposed to take responsibility for myself then what was the purpose of the staff being there to watch me? Especially if I couldn't keep myself safe. 

This hospital has traumatized me for life. This hospital needs to be under investigation based on my experience.  

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