VISIT TO CASTLE WARD (PHU) LINCOLN COUNTY HOSPITAL, GREETWELL ROAD, LINCOLN LN2 5QY

Lincolnshire Partnership Trust’s website contains an article on the two new wards Ellis and Castle. “Welcome to Ellis and Castle Wards at the Peter Hodgkinson Centre, Lincoln County Hospital.

Just to skim through it states they are acute adult inpatient wards. Ellis is male and Castle female.

“Lincoln welcomes two state-of the art mental health wards who provide crisis support for adults at Peter Hodgkinson Centre” comprising a total of 19 beds with separate ensuite accommodation and access to a courtyard area for peace and quiet. “

The first thing I noticed was how noisy it was on the ward with constant alarms going off yesterday.

I would agree there are lots of light and open spaces.

The dining room was overlooked by staff office and the outside space was nice.

I did not see inside a bedroom and as for inside space to relax – quiet room where I was allowed to visit but even in the quiet room you could hear the commotion of the ward outside.

How we will work with you?

Allocated bedroom, named nurse and consultant.

I did not ask Elizabeth who the named nurse was but the consultant is a doctor called Dr Khochar. I will correct the spelling later if I have spelt his name wrong. There also seems to be another doctor in the background, namely Dr Toby Greenall from Ash Villa. I dont know what his involvement is as Elizabeth is no longer at Ash Villa, a hospital that requires complete and extensive refurbishment to give every single bedroom an en-suite and outside there is a tennis court that could be converted into a swimming pool which could be good for the patients and much more could be done with the grounds and facility to bring it up to standards.

So far the doctors under Lincolnshire Partnership Trust have been:

1. Dr Ismail Charlesworth Ward who wrongly tried to indicate Elizabeth needed some sort of nursing care which is nonsense.

2. Dr Shahpasandy – who refused his own research into the Limbic System. Under his reign Elizabeth was treated like a restricted prisonegs

3. Dr Ismail again

4. Dr Kumar drugs raised from 400mg fortnightly of Clopixol depot to 400mg weekly plus a tablet of 10mg of God knows what

5. Dr Islam

6. Dr Suleyman who did a flawed capacity assessment for court

7. Dr T Greenhall who is the only Dr to give any leave but then took away this leave after hearing Elizabeth had one of the frequent ‘episodes’ at home he had witnessed at Ash Villa triggered by having to visit crisis team next day, when all that was needed was a few adaptions for the little bungalow we provided. I wonder what his involvement is now apart from trying to push Clozapine without having read what happened when Elizabeth was put on this at the shocking Royal Bethlem (Bedlam) NPU Beckenham?

8. Dr Memon of Cygnet who I happened to like as he is a Neuropsychiatrist and was interested in Elizabeth’s physical health and called an ambulance after witnesses an ‘episode’.

9. Dr Mohammed of Ward 12

10. Dr Khochar of Castle Ward who is also trying to prescribe Clozapine according to Elizabeth. I have not met him yet so it is too early to comment. However Elizabeth was upset that he was trying to push clozapine as she can remember how ill she was on this chemical. It did not work anyway.

A total of 10 doctors

Hospitals under LPFT alone:

1. Charlesworth Ward PHU Lincoln County Hospital (dormitory accommodation)

2.Ash Villa Sleaford

3. Cygnet Appletree

4. Ward 12

5. Castle Ward Lincoln County Hospital

MY FIRST VISIT TO CASTLE WARD

I was in the area so my visit was unplanned. I had asked to briefly see the Carer’s Champion but was told she was in a meeting. I was then told visiting hours were between 6 – 8 pm. I asked if they could possibly accommodate me a bit earlier as I lived a fair distance away and I do not particularly like driving in the pitch dark but I was told firmly that those were set visiting hours and there would be no flexibility whatsoever. When I commented about visiting on lots of other wards was normally after 2 pm that this was not the case on Castle Ward except at weekends. The receptionist was suddenly joined by a male colleague from the crisis team who just stood there listening. It was as though they were expecting trouble from me as I had dared to criticise their rigid visiting hours. I was not demanding I saw Elizabeth there and then but found it a bit intimidating to suddenly have a witness appear from nowhere. I then said I wanted to go to the Trust office which address I was given but when I looked up how far it was, I could not be bothered as I had already walked a fair distance from where I parked. Instead I had to kill time as I had 6 hours wait to see Elizabeth so I went for a walk and looked around Wickes, then spent the rest of my time in the cafe inside hospital main entrance and then sat in the chapel where it is truly peaceful. Whilst there, I wrote a prayer and put it on their “tree” and spoke to someone inside to tell them how we had been treated and that I was at the chapel a year ago in the same position as now. I had asked if they visited patients on the mental health wards. I do not think Elizabeth’s religious needs are being met on Castle Ward. If she does not have any leave and cannot visit the chapel then this is very wrong.

I then made my way to the ward. I had earlier on dropped in a few things for Elizabeth who has said she is starving hungry in the evenings when they get just a sandwich. She has proved though she is capable of ordering on line and though they say she has no capacity this rubbishes their claims completely.

I was allowed right on to the ward and shown to the quiet room and Elizabeth was smiling and happy. The food I bought her earlier was healthy. I understand rules are rigid on this ward in that patients can only order a takeaway once a week at the weekend.

I then helped Elizabeth sort out the missing shopping orders through Deliveroo who to be fair promptly refunded her.

Elizabeth told me she could barely walk and needed help to walk and that her medication had been raised enormously and she felt her struggles to walk were associated. I thought not again! – don’t these doctors read the files properly and especially the Discharge Note pointing to only physical health as well as the scientific P450 liver enzyme results of “non metaboliser“. Elizabeth was not sure as to what level the Clopizol had been raised but said she was certainly suffering as a result. I accompanied Elizabeth to the nurses station in the centre of the dining room. Elizabeth asked the quantity of drugs prescribed and found out the depot had been raised to 500mg fortnightly. She also said that being administered these drugs was very painful. I complained about this raised level of drugs stating back in Enfield she was being taken off the drugs by 50mg every six weeks due to her discharge note stating only physical conditions ie “abnormal findings on scan pointing to cns”. She was due a reduction down to 250mg when we moved to Lincolnshire. One of the male nurses was taking it seriously that Elizabeth complained of pain to joints and not being able to walk because of the raised injection. There have been no incidents for weeks on end so why raise it! Before we came to Lincolnshire Elizabeth was not even sectioned but Lincolnshire Partnership Trust seized the opportunity to hold her prisoner on various acute wards with the intention of institutionalising her into care for the rest of her life, all paid for by Enfield, our former area (still involved administratively). Probably that means they are still paying. They have gone about things in the most disturbing and dishonest manner which I intend to expose as this applies to other areas too and is of public interest.

So what has been achieved by such lengthy two year imprisonment – the answer is absolutely nothing. Not once has Elizabeth seen a psychologist. How many times do I have to tell LPFT there are underlying physical health concerns and that I have had extensive tests done privately into Endocrinology on the advice of Dr Moncrieff and then there are the scientific tests done on metabolising and further genetic tests done that have prompted me to contact Professor Hanns Lochmuller and other leading professors. LPFT are negligent in ignoring underlying physical health and also on a legal basis in terms of their conduct.

So what has upset me about Castle Ward? ……

The visiting hours so rigid and un-flexible to carers like myself who live a fair distance away. Lincoln prison opposite give more consideration to visitors. (having said all this it is every bit possible that other carers and patients are treated better than us and there is flexibility towards them). I got this impression from talking to patients outside the unit.

Parking is all for staff with permits and no thought for carers whatsoever. It costs c£6 a day to park at Lincolnshire County Hospital. I could not see any disabled parking bays for any disabled carers. It is not like visiting someone in the general hospital as people under MH can be stuck there for months and months or years on end so no thought to carers of people stuck on never ending “sentences” under LPFT

There does not seem to be any leave arranged yet but I have not properly checked. Elizabeth had a CPA where 9 people attended and no advocate was present. I do not know if Voiceability were even aware of this but I will contact them. I was not invited myself yet am the only visitor for my daughter even though I have been ousted as her nearest relative in the most disturbing manner.

Elizabeth was told by RC Dr Khochar that “you are on an on-going section”. The only way you will get off is if you call for a tribunal. Several times now Elizabeth has tried to appoint solicitors for this purpose and they have not got back to her. Other patients on Ash Villa tried to help her but what about the advocates? An advocate has no power at a tribunal but surely the advocates should be helping towards getting a tribunal with solicitors in hand especially in the current disturbing circumstances which I cannot go into. There has not been a solicitor appointed for some time as there has been several changes in ward and since my displacement no-one appears to be helping. However it does make me wonder – clearly they have done what they did to make sure Elizabeth cannot make any applications in her own right. It will be interesting to see what happens as if Elizabeth did request a Tribunal only to have her application quashed on the grounds of best interest and best interest for whom exactly??? To me it is best interest of the institution! I wonder also if this is being paid for still by Enfield another area where we were bullied and Elizabeth was abused.

I think the whole process has been unlawful. There has been extreme dishonesty between Lincolnshire Partnership Trust and Lincolnshire County Council in terms of abuse of power and process. This has led to two years of ongoing imprisonment with decline to Elizabeth’s physical health and no end in sight when Elizabeth was not even on a section prior to moving and living peacefully in the community and compliant. Elizabeth has said her physical health has suffered irreparable damage. Whilst a nurse yesterday took seriously Elizabeth’s concerns and examined her in the treatment room with me present, he has promised to relay this to Dr Khochar and team. If nothing is done about reducing the drug to former levels it is affecting her ability to walk and causing sensitivity to her hands this needs to go to the CQC who rate them good.

When someone has an endocrine dysfunction this is physical and NOT MENTAL HEALTH and should not be ignored. Referrals to specialists need to be made. A medically untrained social worker described Elizabeth’s ‘symptoms’ as those observed in patients with hypothyroidism “bouts of emotional dysregulation – aggression towards others” “dissociation and disinhibition – struggles to manage her thoughts, feelings and behaviour.” He is not even qualified to adduce evidence of a clinical nature but all of these symptoms are associated with dysfunctional endocrine functions – defective thyroid function. Rapid tranquilisation and seclusion are not recognised treatment for hypo or hyperthyroidism. However in a slightly better environment of a new ward Elizabeth is more settled and there has been no incidents that would warrant a massive increase in medication.

ALL PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS SHOULD HAVE REGULAR ENDOCRINE FUNCTION TESTS AND NEUROLOGICAL SCANS FOR DYSFUNCTIONS IN THE AMYGDALA HIPPOCAMPUS AND PRE-FRONTAL CORTEX. IT IS BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS (except to many psychiatrists) PRECAUTION THAT PATHOLOCAL DISORDERS SHOULD BE SCREENED FOR.

I am going to write to Dr Khochar asking for Endocrine tests to check on Elizabeth’s existing conditions and if he refuses I think he should put his decision in writing to me with a full explanation of why the endocrine tests and brain scans are not required. All parents and carers should consider this.

A leading expert has written about research on inflammation of the brain and how it affects medication efficacy. Apparently there were 20 cases where patients were prescribed clozapine and had concomitant inflammatory disorders including those caused by pathogen infections and autoimmune conditions. The inflammation increased the serum dose ratio and in 11 of the cases it was recommended to halve the dose in 5 others to reduce it by a third. Serum concentration is the major issue with this drug rather than dose and a high serum concentration can occur with a moderate dose. It is this ratio that creates the problems with ADR’s and metabolism failure due to cytochrome P450 down regulation.

The maximum dose in all cases had been 350mg and nowhere near maximum but still the serum dose ratio was adaversely affeced by the inflammatory disorder the patient had.

Any patient presenting with inflammatory conditions need close monitoring to avoid ADR’s and dose modification is almost certainly necessary. It should be noted that inflammatory conditions are commonly seen in patients with endocrine disorders like Elizabeth.

Elizabeth has twice had covid at Ash Villa

“Covid-19 can cross the blood brain barrier and has caused manifestations of psychiatric disorders in some patients.  It is a clear and up to date example of a physiological cause of mental illness.  Psych drugs and ECT can facilitate pathogens entering brain tissue.  The powers that be deny this in the face of mountains of evidence.”

Medical science is in the hands of powerful lobby groups and pays only lip service to research ethics.  If doctors looked for lesions, infections, inflammatory causes of poor neurotransmitter effectiveness and metabolism problems our psychiatric hospitals would be virtually empty.  They don’t of course.  They prefer the cosy myth of psychosis being a lifelong chronic condition and by doing that create a self fulfilling prophecy.

There is no decisive evidence supporting a gene theory of schizophrenia in spite of decades of biopsychs looking for one.  Over the same period it has been decisively proven that gene markers  for cytochromes have enormous influence on the efficacy of drugs.  We were right all along on this but the biopsychs still maintain that they are right on every aspect.

The knowledge of physiological causes of disturbed mental states is older than psychiatry itself.  The biopsychs (friends of the drug companies) have fought long and hard to maintain the mythology of genetic causeds of schizophrenia et al and never come top to the level of evidence needed.

Bob Johnson and Antony Forde who are both expert in determining interview responses vis-a-vis capacity  say that Elizabeth’s responses indicate not only capacity but clear insight.  This also brings the diagnosis into sharp focus.  Indeed it contradicts many of the diagnostic signs in schizophrenia.

Currently working on neurodegenerative disorders and research into potential treatments (prognosis currently very poor).  The psychiatrists  (apart from the enlightened ones) absolutely ignore brain lesions, BBB transmitted infections and drug related protein damage in the brain.  Most of them know nothing about the glympathic  system and how important it is in clearing the brain of protein detritus.  We know that neuroleptic medications can transport neurotoxins across the BBB.  Noone takes any notice of that either on the wards.  They are totally in the grip of Big Pharma and the Royal Colleges who take their coin.

Whilst idiotic diagnostic criteria still form the basis of the decision on capacity (also in contravention of the purpose of the legislation) short-sighted medical professionals will continue with their preposterous conclusions.  There is no such thing as schizophrenia or personality disorder.  Patients present with disordered behaviour for a huge number of reasons and the majority have physiological causes.  It has been discussed in great detail the effect of inflammation on neuroreceptors and neurotransmitter pathways.  The headshrinkers on the wards completely ignore this gigantic blue whale in the bathtub.

“The MCA2005 is used to take control from patients and their families.  In most cases this really is in the best interest of the patient but is open to abuse as is everything else.  The best interest of the institution are often ‘factored in’ even though that is entirely contradictory to the spirit of the legislation and code of practice. The MCA2005 is used to take control from patients and their families.  In most cases this really is in the best interest of the patient but is open to abuse as is everything else.  The best interest of the institution are often ‘factored in’ even though that is entirely contradictory to the spirit of the legislation and code of practice.”