My experiences over the last few years have led me to say and write much in criticism of the Adult Mental Health Service in Leicester (LPT), and to be fair, I stand fully behind every word, every criticism, each one is true and valid, and well deserved. However, I hope I can express the same enthusiasm when writing something good about them.
Like all organisations the LPT seeks to publicise its successes, but as for every other organisation the press are happy to pick up the problems, and write emotive pieces using dramatic words and phrases, and confine the good news to a small paragraph in a corner of an unread page. This of course gives the public an impression of the service, which the staff also read, and it saps their morale and spirit, leading to lower performance and perpetuating the problems.
Is it fair that the press work like this? On the face of it no, because it is unbalanced reporting, but think again… the good stories are basically highlighting when they have done their job properly, when the staff have done what they are paid for. The criticism refers to serious lapses where lives have been potentially put at risk, and in some tragic cases, actually lost. They are by far the minority. So, the press report on the failings, skirt over the successes, but there is never a mention of the countless smaller errors which are not life threatening but add up to people losing any trust or confidence in the LPT.
When they get things wrong, the best approach is to say “yes – we got it wrong and we are doing the following to ensure it cannot happen again”, but my feeling is that they are reluctant to do that.
Now, over the last couple of years I have raised countless complaints, attended many meetings, received no answers from anyone and things have not changed. I have now been invited to attend a superb initiative aimed at ensuring that the LPT understand why patients and carers have the feelings they do for the service, warts and all.
This is a superb initiative to get all of the Trust staff, from all Senior Management levels, the people doing the real work on the wards, and all of the outpatient services to listen to carers and service users, to really listen and to understand the good points, understand why the criticisms are made and importantly understand how they impact on the lives of the people involved.
I have today attended a meeting at George Hine House involving a carer, a service user and senior officers of all areas of the Trust as well as the consultants facilitating the programme. I was delighted at the warmth with which the programme is being embraced by the LPT and the enthusiasm in the room to get things started and start learning so that lessons can be learned and changes made. It was so positive!!
The plan is to finalise the schedules and produce some advertising artwork to be distributed via existing networks as well as being displayed in appropriate locations advertising the process and inviting carers and service users to become involved. This will all happen before Christmas, and the meetings, where carers and patients actually get to talk to the service providers are being scheduled for January.
The initial process will involve all of the services within the community, to be followed quickly by the second process, covering the work of the wards
I have seen the results achieved by this process in the Childrens Mental Health Service, and have seen testimonies form other Trusts who have been through the process already. Each one has taken the lessons on board and shown significant improvements.
I would recommend to anyone who has a chance to try to get involved, the conversations with the service providers will always keep you away from people you have, or are currently, worked with, and there is no way that your comments can be used by anyone to negatively impact on the treatment of either you or your carer.
Every precaution will be taken at all times to ensure that you are comfortable and feel free to talk honestly without interruption or comment, and it is your chance to let the Trust know of your concerns and indeed the things you liked in your experience.
What has happened in the past cannot be undone in anyway, however much I complain and rant, what happened happened and cannot be changed, I have always said I am raising, and sticking to, my issues purely to help bring about improvement for Mental Health patients and their carers.
This process is a huge investment of time, energy and money by the Trust, and as long as we, the Patients and Carers, can talk to them openly and honestly they will listen, and will bring about the improvements we have been craving for so long.
The LPT is being very proactive and open in taking part in this process, as long as we, the public involved, accept their invitation and speak frankly we will see the improvements we seek.
The LPT is to be praised for this initiative, and I personally take my hat off to them for giving me the chance to be involved
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