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Crisis team, lack of response

Posted By Ilovecats

"Crisis team, lack of response"

About: Adult mental health / Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team

(as the patient),

My husband called our local Crisis Team as I was in severe distress and suicidal. We are still waiting for a call back almost 1 week later. Luckily my husband (a real gem) managed to persuade me to talk a little about my feelings, gave me 2 sleeping tablets and sent me to bed.

If my case is an example, I pity anybody else who plucks up the courage to call them.

I know it was during the Christmas/New Year period but surely to goodness this is a crucial period for providing Crisis support.

I am not at all impressed and my experience has only enhanced my reasonings for not ever calling them when I need to. I do not want to present myself to A&E when I get these feelings (I have had them more times than I care to mention) as they are over-burdened as it is but what else can I do? I need support or need to be somewhere safe to stop me overdosing but maybe that is wishful thinking.

0 out of 10 Crisis Team, must do better.

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Responses

Response from Consumer Experience and Engagement Officer, Consumer Experience and Engagement Team, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust 14 years ago
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 05/01/2011 at 12:26

Please accept our sincere apologies for the lack of response from this Crisis Team. This is obviously a serious matter so I would urge you to contact our PALS and Complaints Department tel: 023 8087 4065 or email where your concerns can be discussed on a one to one basis. This is a confidential service which acts independently of clinical teams. No information will be divulged without your knowledge or consent. In order to give you a response via Patient Opinion from the manager responsible for this service we need to know in which area this crisis team is located or if you could just let us know the number you were trying to call would be helpful. I hope you will reply to this response to enable us to take further action. We can then try and ensure this does not happen again to both you and other service users when in crisis.

Update posted by Ilovecats (the patient)

Hi. The Crisis Team is based at Parklands Hospital, Basingstoke and the telephone number used is 01256 817718. I look forward to your response. Thank you.

Response from Consumer Experience and Engagement Officer, Consumer Experience and Engagement Team, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust 14 years ago
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 07/01/2011 at 15:20
Published on Care Opinion at 00:00

Thank you very much for this information which will of great help for those looking into your concern. This will be passed on straightaway to the Director of Operations for Adult Mental Health. I will then give you the response from them, which I expect to receive in the next few days.

Response from Consumer Experience and Engagement Officer, Consumer Experience and Engagement Team, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust 14 years ago
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 11/01/2011 at 17:01
Published on Care Opinion at 00:00

The Area Manager for North Hampshire has given the following response to your concerns:

The Crisis Resolution Home Treatment(CRHT)Service based at Parklands Hospital does not operate a self-referral service but has an out of hours telephone support service. Staff would normally ring back if that what was agreed. There were some callers over the Christmas period who did not leave a name or number so unfortunately the CRHT service were unable to return their calls.

I can only apologise if the CRHT Service did not return your call and offer you further support during your time of crisis.

If further details could be supplied then I would ensure that this was looked into more closely. I would also recommend that you discuss your concerns directly with the Acute Pathway Manager (Gary Walsby) on 01256 817718.

Once again I apologise for this lack of response from the CRHT Service and would urge you to use the Out of Hours Service in future if needed.

Update posted by Ilovecats (the patient)

As previously mentioned, my husband did call during "out of hours". The number my husband dialled went straight through to the Out of Hours service and he left his name, what the concern was (ie, me) and also left a contact number. We know the procedure during out of hours as we have used this service on occasions before. I am unsure what date this happened but know it was between Christmas and the New Year.

We understand fully that there is not a self-referral option but I am under the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) and have been advised that if needed, I should ring the Crisis Team Out of Hours service if I need support.

At this moment in time, I would find it rather awkward to speak to Gary Walsby about this matter but I look forward to a response, having supplied further information above, and hopefully this will enable me to know how to get a resolution on this.

If you do need any further information, do please let me know.

Response from Consumer Experience and Engagement Officer, Consumer Experience and Engagement Team, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust 14 years ago
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 14/01/2011 at 16:48
Published on Care Opinion at 00:00

Thank you for this additional information which I will now forward to the Director of Operations for Adult Mental Health. A response will be posted in the next few days.

Response from Consumer Experience and Engagement Officer, Consumer Experience and Engagement Team, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust 14 years ago
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 18/01/2011 at 13:30

The Area Manager for North Hampshire has said that there is nothing further they can add to what they have already said without further information. What I would strongly recommend is for you to contact our PALS and Complaints Department. You can call us: 023 8087 4065 or contact us by email and discuss these concerns directly with them. This is a confidential service which works independently of clinical teams. Your name will not be passed onto anyone without your knowledge or consent. Further information about this service can be found by clicking this link to this Trust's website.

Update posted by Ilovecats (the patient)

It would be helpful to know precisely what information is needed in order to resolve this situation.

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