Here is the message from my daughter which I have by text sent to me on Monday 3rd December. This message puts in dispute that Elizabeth only wants supervised phone calls when in fact she has been contacting me unknown to the team.  Elizabeth also wrote that she would ask the Manager at Cambian to see if she could see me at Xmas.  I then got a reply from Cambian – an email saying that they understood that the time available and agreed by the TEAM that I could ring my daughter ie 6.00 pm on a Monday could be re-arranged to a more suitable supervised slot once a week.  I have not as yet responded.  I am too upset to respond to a team who have treated me like a criminal from the very beginning.   A team who do not care at all about other people’s feelings, a team who have gone out of their way to manipulate my daughter and got rid of her existing solicitors.  I have not even the strength right now to complain about them but how on earth did they ever win the title of Best Care Provider in the Private Sector with the likes of Roger Black at their award winning do. 

The psychiarist Dr A W clearly did not like me from the word go and even referred to my past behaviour – God knows what kind of things have been written behind my back by the Bethlem and team.  I have never even met this psychiatrist and now this psychiatrist has gone off on leave for maternity but she has clearly gone out of her way to try and interfere with my daughter’s choice in terms of family arrangements and has ruined Xmas for the family especially myself and my younger daughter and I will never never forget what this psychiatrist has done.  I know for a fact that the rest of the team go by what the so called professional doctor has to say and she was very pro the Maudsley and called it a world-wide leading renowned hospital.  It was far from this – it was a research hospital where in fact they experiment on the weakest and most vulnerable people making huge money out of the funding provided by major drugs companies – whilst there could be an innocent explanation, bearing in mind the cruel laws of this country that allow such abuse to go on in the name of profit for these major drugs companies who instead of paying for people to take part in their clinical trials do so at their hearts content with the likes of people like my daughter.  Once drugged up and messed about with high dosages of drugs they are like “putty in their hands” and Dr James MacCabe and Prof Taylor have a lot of answer for and so does the Consultant Psychiatrist who she was under.  The pharmacist sat there smugly smiling throughout meetings until I pulled her up.  I was told to sit back, relax and leave everything to the professionals but what did they do-  three more drugs were introduced and one given off label for diabetes Type II.  It would seem if you dare to speak out against their shocking so called “care” you get treated as a criminal and human rights go out the window.  It is a cruel world and we are supposed to live in a civilised country in the UK but I have not got a good word to say about the UK and its care for the mentally ill.  There is much abuse going on and nothing is done.  Here is an example of what is being done by the CQC in their letter to me of the 05th December.

The letter has the reference 4/4/12/54.   The signature is totally illegible.  All it says is Information & Advice Officer with a scrawl of a signature.  This is a Government funded organisation the CQC that are supposed to investigate complaints and it would appear have done nothing.  I am waiting to hear from them in regard to my complaint on why my daughter’s face was covered in bruises.  For all I know she could have been beaten up by members of staff.  Who knows what goes on behind closed doors.  Maybe she refused to take her drugs and that is what they did to her.  I have no proof at the end of the day.  The reason my daughter’s face was covered in bruises could be one of many.  Perhaps she upset another patient – there could be an innocent explanation but it certainly looks suspicious especially when the ward manager had to ask me when this occured and I was able to tell her on the exact date this happened because keeping a record of this through my blog is very beneficial.  I was quite frankly shocked at the extent of the bruising.  Another reason is perhaps my daughter did that to herself!  One thing is for sure having experienced the extremel cruelty of the staff of the Fitzmary II Ward who have a blog by a former patient dedicated to them – anything is possible.  Whilst visiting the ward the patients told me that they were not happy –  they said things like their human rights were being abused.  What have the CQC done about this?   The CQC are an organisation who are not interested if you turn to them and tell them your daughter or son is being abused.  They are not interested in individual cases at all but I pointed out to them that there were many on the ward complaining of their rights.  In fact I know someone in hospital at the moment complaining of their rights but the CQC could not care less and send out a letter with a scrawl of a signature you cannot read to cover their backs and pass the buck to organisations who are already inundated with complaints such as the PHSO who have shut down my case on several occasions.  The letter states as follows:

“I have received a copy of the letter summarising the outcome of the investigation into your complain, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Office (PHSO) within the next 12 months saying why you are not satisfied. The Ombudsman can investigate complaints that the NHS (or NHS funded care) in England have failed to act properly or fairly or provided  a poor service.

The Mental Health Act also grants the Care Quality Commission (CQC to consider an investigation. 

The PHSO is the final abiter in any complaint matter and therefore the CQC cannot consider any request for investigation once the Ombudsman has either completed or declined an investigation into your complaints.

Both the CQC and PHSO have failed miserably to do anything for my daughter.  It is a complete and utter waste of time going to either of them and in my opinion they should both be shut down.  It is a waste of taxpayer’s money to fund organisations that allow abuse to continue under mental health care and get away with earning big salaries for doing nothing at all.

The only way you can get someone to listen to you is if you are prepared to pay thousands to take matters to court.  To think taxpayer’s money is being wasted in such a big way on the likes of these organisations is horrendous and then on one occasion they came back to me that the care was “satisfactory” – this was an occasion where two firms of solicitors had outrightly said they were negligent at Enfield and yet the PHSO came back with the words “satisfactory”.  This was when my daughter went missing – I have all the files in this case and this points to negligence yet still they try and defend the care by saying the words “satisfactory” – it is only when a programme like Panorama gets hold of a particulare case of abuse that they do their job from what I see. 

It was truly shocking what happened to my daughter at that time and I was told by a nurse “no harm done” but I believe the opposite.I was ready to take them to court and this has been one of many shocking incidents that have happened to her over the past years leading to her decline some of which occurred on the wards themselves.

Now of course the team are desperate to get rid of me in any way they can because I have been outspoken and for no other reason.  They simply have no other grounds and I know will go out of their way to try and reason as to why it is not beneficial for my daughter to see me but in fact they are protecting their own backs.    I realise that they may try all sorts of tricks such as say that I myself am mentally unstable myself and that it is being done for my daughter’s safety –  How can this be?  I work full time – I was up until recently training to be a police officer –  I most certainly am not mentally unstable but I certainly would question the stability of some of the psychiatrists involved –  I question how they are desperately trying to defend their jobs in light of the increasing amount of professionals who are willing to honestly speak out and state that the drugs are not the answer and that cases should be looked upon individually In addition they cannot accuse me of trying to take her off the chemicals as I am not a doctor and she would need professional help in order to do this however it is not impossible and can be done in the right environment but in this uncaring country there is nothing and patients end up feeling in a hopeless situation and no longer caring what happens to them.   If my daughter had had the drug free period of assessment I would have been ready to accept the diagnosis however I know for a fact you cannot take someone off 150mg off Seroquel in just 2 weeks and not expect some kind of adverse reaction and then of course that is how they justifiy the sanctions they impose and these very sanctions are preventing me from seeing my daughter at Xmas.  I have asked time and time again for their reasons but they say nothing. 

You do not know how bitter I feel about this.  I am happy to go out of my way now to try and get the much needed funding to see groups like Soteria set up that give kinder care and consideration to the mentally ill.  There is not one single place int the UK set up and that is apalling.  In America there are centres such as Earth House – why not here?  Why could not one place be set up as a pilot scheme to see how it works.  It certainly works in Finland in a place called Tornio where I desperately tried to contact people to see if there was any way I could send my daughter over there to have decent care. 

As I have said before I am trying to raise the money.  I have approached two London football clubs so far- Chelsea  and Arsenal.  Hope to contact West Ham and Spurs to to see if I can get players’ signatures on tee-shirts which I am prepared to pay for to auction on Ebay in one big auction to see if I can raise the money for one if not all of three centres called Soteria, Chy Sawel and Root and Branch Project to be set up to provide humane care for my daughter and many people like her trapped in a never ending prison environment (some of whom have no voice and no family to speak up for them) they never get better because the only cure is drug pushing and that does not cure someone who for instance is a rape or abuse victim and only provides profit for the pharmaceuticals who in my opinion should be doing something to help the many “treatment resistant” patients by getting them reduced gradually and off these harmful drugs.  The fact they label someone as being treatment resistant says it all – it means they have failed – failed to treat someone effectively, failed to address the underlying reasons for the decline in their mental health and have done so by the easy route by pushing drugs and nothng else which is clearly not the answer.   It is also failure that a so called civilised country such as the UK do nothing to stop the abuse going on right now and see the only cure as drugs which of course bring huge profits to the pharmaceutical industry which in turn have close association with the Government.  With all the money the Government waste why could they not at least try such a scheme based on the care available in Finland.

I wish I did not live in this cruel country.  I so much want to leave and take Elizabeth with me to anywhere in the world where she can have the right kind of care.  A care that is humane and kind and addressed individual needs.

CAN ANYONE HELP ME PLEASE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE AS THEY ARE KILLING MY DAUGHTER?

I received several text messages on Monday from Elizabeth.  She told me she was spending Xmas with her Dad and he apparently has bought a new cat.  I then asked did she not want to come home to see the cat that I bought her and to see myself and her sister to which she responded that she would ask.  She also wrote about the fact she was reading the Bible and I think she was excited about Xmas. 

 It is a long time since Elizabeth has been home and when I could see the shocking Bethlem hospital were not doing the promised drug free assessment and the Section 2 had come to an end I did try to get her out of there.  I found out when the Tribunal was and got time off from work but the solicitor recommended by the hospital said “do you really want to go through with this.  Elizabeth was unhappy about meetings etc and backed down and it was a complete waste of time.  Unfortunately there was her chance gone – her chance to get off the section and at a time when she was not unstable and just on the Olanzapine.  I still thought that the social worker who was very good at the Bethlem could have got her into somewhere good in a better area than where we live as he had discussed with me about where she could first go into Rehab.  Bearing in mind some events that happened prior to admission I was keen that she did not end up on the wards of Enfield Mental Health once again.  I wanted her to make a fresh start really so that she could hopefully get on with her life and be happy and there were too many bad memories locally.  Suddenly this social worker went off sick unfortunately – he was about the only member of staff there I truly trusted and the only social worker I have come across under the mental health who was good.  Anyway the next thing was they wanted to get rid of me as nearest relative and actually drew up court papers to this effect leaving me with no chance to get a solicitor because I did not agree with the Section 3 at all.  The fact that things were not done properly led to sanctions being taken against Elizabeth as you simply cannot come off 150mg of Seroquel over 2 weeks it was the consultant psychiatrist’s fault in my opinion.  In addition, mixing a drug with another can cause someone to become unstable and this is what happened and she was so disorientated that the next thing she was put on a drug with the initials M (metformine) and then Clozapine unknown to her.  So, before the Section 3 I was suggesting she remained first of all as a voluntary patient until the social worker found decent rehab care as I did not feel the area where I livewas the best thing for Elizabeth at the time because of recent serious incidents and the fact that the scheme certainly would not have been a place to return to that would be safe for Elizabeth.  However, when I saw what this hospital (Bethlem) did and the way I got bullied, I did not want for the Section 3 to go ahead and felt that this team could not be trusted at all in the way that they behaved .  I desperately wrote directly to the Judge herself to explain my situation but was worried about being replaced as the Nearest Relative as I was the one who did most of the visiting and had researched all these chemicals plus taken expert advice –  I knew they wanted desperately to replace me with someone who would just go along with everything without any conflict ie., her father.   I was also seriously considering in desperation and despair having Elizabeth home especially after I saw what they did with all those drugs in such a deceitful and despicable manner but by this time she would have needed a nurse to care for her as she could hardly walk once put on the Clozapine and was in a bad way. Still home would havge been better than the shocking Bethlem. 

Anyway, getting back to the messages – one said “I pray I will see you at Xmas, Mum”.  (Well, the letter from the consultant psychiatrist of Cambian clearly said escorted leave only and that she is too unstable to stay over Xmas).  I do not believe these comments at all. 

The next message from Elizabeth read that she would ask about Xmas leave and I thought to myself – that is a waste of time judging by the letter I received shortly before.  After she had asked, I got another email but from the Manager of Cambian.  The Manager wanted to speak to me but whilst at work it is difficult and the message came through her receptionist.  I later responded stating it would be best to correspond in writing as I was in an open plan office and could not speak.  When I got home from work I wrote to her and asked some questions which I am still waiting for the answers to.  The message was about the supervised phone calls once a week that I am allowed.  I think she wanted to alter the time of this phone call I stated that 6 pm  was not good as I travel home from work then.   I have not been phoning at all because I do not feel comfortable having supervised phone calls and besides Elizabeth has been texting me even though the team do not seem to want me to have any contact with her other than supervised/escorted leave.

After I received that last letter about the time of the phone call  I immediately thought I must act and do something because more than ever  I would like Soteria, Chy Sawel and Root and Branch project set up and the Goverment does not care less so again I thought of my auction which I propose to do to raise money for these projects.  I have thought of collectible items and am waiting to hear from various sources if they can help me.  Of course I do not mind paying for some of the things but things like autographs are collectible items and I read that Ebay say these sort of things do well in an auction.      

I do not know yet whether I will get the signatures I need but it is worth a try.

Last of all today I got another phone call and this was when at work.  I will report later on this as I do not know what this is all about yet.

Despite the ban on me phoning Elizabeth she has been in touch with me although the messages have been very brief and today I got a couple of messages that just said the word “OK”.  I wanted to phone her and speak to her but know that this would not be allowed by the team of Cambian Four Star Wards.  I did not know what she meant by “OK” so I wrote back briefly by text. 

I do not know what is going on because noone has telephoned me or written.  I am finding that at Enfield they say they do not know what is going on at Cambian and vice versa yet I am sure they must all be in touch and ought to know what is going on.  This reminds me of the care in the community where the team at the mental health housing were not informed what was going on by social services so it appeared. 

ttp://t.co/u3U27zfs

http://t.co/apEGBDr5

I am always very interested to hear what a growing number of specialists think and I especially admire people like Dr Ann Blake Tracy and Professor Healy amongst others.  The above links  are connected to Professor Healy and I would like to see him involved in my daughter’s case as you cannot dismiss the honesty of his comments or the wonderful book Prozac Panacea Pandora.  It is people like Professor Healy who give me hope.

I was pleased to get those messages from Elizabeth today and I have just heard from her sister that she telephoned the other day but the phone was not working and she had to go through the office.  I believe that Elizabeth is being brought down to this area but nothing has been said to me and so I doubt any visit will be made home and for the first time ever Xmas will be not the same at all. 

I cannot see any court cases happening before Xmas either.

Many people who know me personally have commented on how nasty the whole situation is.  The reason I want to make a stand is because I know of other people in the same situation or similar.  Some families have been torn apart because of this kind of situation.

Today I have been out shopping.  I have been doing some cooking as I have some guests from Italy.  I was meant to visit someone at the Bethlem Hospital but feel so drained and tired.  The whole situation is definitely affecting my health but my job keeps my mind off things.  I try not to think too much about this awful situation as there is nothing I can do right now.

During the past week I have had no phone call or response from either Cambian or Enfield Mental Health.   Elizabeth’s sister has not been able to get through on the phone at all.  It is the weekend and I have been trying to think what to do as I most probably will not be seeing my daughter for the first ever time at Xmas.  I object to having an escorted visit when  her father has had an unescorted visit and I do not know what is going on but then noone bothers to communicate with you. 

Despite feeling tired and drained I went up to the local town today to try and think what to get Elizabeth and bearing in mind I think she may be kept in  hospital I was planning to get some things delivered.  Things such as the wonderful food I have seen in Whole Foods in Kensington near where I work and Marks & Spencers do nice food and clothes.  I am thinking of placing some orders. 

I thought today of  having some photographs made into a calendar and this is costing me a lot as I am an honest person and it would be against copyright if I were to just take an album I had done and do this cheaply myself at a shop like Boots.  However, it is costing me hundreds.  It will be nice as at least my daughter will have something to remember – a day when she was very happy when I took her to have hair and makeup done followed by a photography session and of course she was in  hospital at the time locally. 

I had planned to go to the main shopping areas of London to try and find something collectible but the only chance I have working full time is after work which is late,  but have been too tired this week – maybe next week as I am still keen to do my auction and I think that something signed by a celebrity would be a good thing but I do not know any to ask.  I may ask the local football teams are something like this would be very collectible but I have no idea whether this request will be turned down.  I will keep trying in any case but I think I need something more to auction than what I currently have especially if I am asking for a huge donation – it is only fair that I try at least to get something else.

I have  missed my group meeting today because I had someone turn up to visit me.  The meetings always make me feel better.  I am totally inspired by some of the former patients who are determined to campaign for a better system in mental health.  

If only we had something available like in Finland in a place called Tornio.  I have already written to see if they would take Elizabeth as she constantly asks to go to Finland having spend several months there – these were happy and drug free times. Elizabeth never took drugs herself in the first place – the only drug pushing here has been from the team.

If only Soteria was set up over here and considering what waste of money is going on under this Government with loans to foreign countries being unpaid etc and wars where money is no object then it is a disgrace that this Government is not doing more to improve things in terms of mental health care.  In fact as I see it they do NOTHING.  Only Ed Milliband speaks up but- when is there going to be some action. 

I would like to display such a messageby laser beam onto a prominent building such as the Department of Health – if only!  This would get me attention and to think that Paul Burstow replied in a sympathetic way however he has done nothing to help – I want more than this now and I am getting impatient with them all – all of this is not helping my daughter and she needs somewhere to go where there is such a thing as humane healthcare and there is none from what I see.   I do not see the pushing of mind altering LSD like drugs at someone like my daughter who has multiple diagnoses as the answer – it is no wonder she is classed as being treatment resistant.  In cases such as these there should be a new approach and that approach can only be provided under groups like Soteria, Chy Sawel and Root and Branch Project.  I desperately need these set up as there should not be a care in place that is like a dictatorship and controlling every little thing and breaking up familiies such as at present just like a religious cult.  This is supposed to be a civilised country but I see that the UK is not civilised at all in how they care for the weak and vulnerable especially under mental health care. I am thinking seriously now like I did at the shocking prison environment of the Maudsley that she would be better of at home with a nurse living in to help.  I do not think though that the area is very good as it is London and noisy and stressful.  I hoped for so much when I found out about the holistic care under Welsh law but I do not think that anyone in the team is bothered about Elizabeth’s long term health.   The way I am being treated right now is terrible and I am being excluded from everything.  Still, I have no regrets but I understand that it is precisely because of the way I am being treated that this is why so many more unhappy parents and carers are too afraid to do this.     What I am doing is not only for my daughter but for everyone who does not have a voice right now and trapped in this shocking inhumane system.  Some have no parents or anyone who cares yet they are being held like prisoners on a never ending sentences.  A prisoner is treated better than a mental health patient who is completely stripped of their human rights and the law is an absolute disgrace in the UK.  The law is such that it is failing to protect the weakest and most vulnerable people in society and no-one seems to care about this – only those who have knowledge, who have been affected in some way either themselves or through having a family member who has had shocking care like my daughter.  The law needs to be changed that is for sure and so does the care in order to give choice to patients.  If a patient is happy being on the drugs then that is fine but there still n eeds to be the choice.

The last thing I heard was an email from my daughter’s social worker at Enfield Mental Health asking where the carers assessment was.  I have not completed this yet as I am waiting for information from them but hear nothing.   I wrote back and asked if she could tell me what was going on.  She has not done this and this is the new social worker appointed by Enfield Mental Health.  Around this time I then out of the blue got a phone call from Cambian but I did not pick the call up as I am at work and in an open plan office.  I later picked up the missed call but it is very difficult to speak at work and the last time was when I kept having to go out to take calls when bullied by the legal teams of SLAM and Enfield threatening to take me to court to get rid of me as Nearest Relative.  It was very embarrassing having to go out and upstairs time and time again to take the calls and then I asked them to email me instead and they emailed me with the court papers giving 1 day’s notice.  This time I asked Cambian if we could correspond by email as although I am at work, it is a  bit easier for me to do this than go upstairs to take calls.  Unfortunately I have heard nothing.

The Tribunal is not scheduled until after Xmas now by the looks of things.

I then got a letter from Cambian – Dr A W to say that she was not mentally stable to be allowed leave at Xmas however a week or so before this she was allowed out unescorted with her father.  There is definitely favouritism there as all along he has been included whereas I have been excluded and it is clear that this is personal and aimed at me by this consultant psychiatrist of Cambian Four Star Wards who is going off on maternity leave soon and could not care less about my daughter who was looking forward to spending Xmas with me. 

This doctor – doctor A W dislikes me and I could detect that in the one phone call and has made no effort to liaise with me and has gone out of her way to control and try to cut me out, manipulating my daughter.  She has upset not only myself but the younger sister of Elizabeth as Xmas is ruined thanks to this Consultant Psychiatrist.   Elizabeth would have also liked to  have seen her pet kitten but this will not be possible now.  I am allowed escorted access and there is no mention of any supervised phone call being allowed bearing in mind Xmas day is on a Tuesday.  I am sure this will upset Elizabeth  having to spend Xmas in hospital however it may be the case that they allow her to see her father instead which is an absolute infringement of human rights and I think that this doctor should make a public statement as to her reasons as I should have the right to defend myself and am happy to do that in front of the world as this sort of thing should not be allowed to go on. 

Unless there are grounds to point to abuse and neglect of that person there are no grounds to abuse someone’s human rights in my opinion.  Unless there are grounds to point the finger at me and say I am going to influence her in stopping the drugs and I have already stated I am not a doctor and could not do this, then what is the problem – it is personal dislike and totally unprofessional in my opinion.     I would not be writing and campaigning in public like I am doing if I had anything to hide, however I do know having read past files that they can question and put words into someone’s head who is already confused and mixed up on a high level of drugs.  Chemically brainwashing that person and stating that they have mental capacity is easy to do under their control.    I believe that this sort of thing should be stopped and questions placed on whether a doctor is abusing that patient in this manner and they say all sorts of things behind your back as well but I cannot say more about this at this stage or other things. 

To think that Cambian have had celebrities involved such as Ruby Wax so I understand who  has visited.  They won an award for Best Care Provider in the Private Sector recently yet they are not going by NICE guidelines. 

I had nothing but praise on reading the description of Cambian but then the solicitor that was recommended by Bethlem Hospital said “same as any other hospital” – now I know what she means and that is why the whole care system needs looking at and also care in the community because when someone has been in hospital as long as Elizabeth you cannot just adapt to life in the community without more one to one support especially if you are on a high level of drugs.  

I believe the section is unfair bearing in mind the high reduction that the consultant psychiatrist at Bethlem Hospital ordered.  Anyone would go downhill after this kind of reduction and that is when they imposed their sanction of a Section 3 and now this Section 3 is coming to an end it would seem that Cambian want to keep her for another 18 months. 

“I will call the police on them Mum – you are still my mum”

“you are overturning the apple cart mum”  –  these do not sound like the words of my daughter – her texts are short and brief.

Elizabeth has also said “if you are not careful you could lose me forever”  I hope that will not be the case but this is the kind of bullying that goes on with social services involved and a psychiatrist who does not like you.   They have made out that I am threatening and aggressive and nasty and have probably said all sorts of things behind my back – I have seen it all before in past files.  I do not care about what has been said but I do care about Xmas and what this hospital is doing to the family.

They have destroyed my happiness – they have gone against my younger daughter and deprived her from having her sister at home this Xmas and most of all they have destroyed Xmas for Elizabeth who will have to remain in hospital where she commented recently “I dont know what to do with myself, Mum – why did you put me here”.   I did not put her there at all she was placed by Enfield Mental Health.  I actually asked for her to come home but would need help as I work full time.  The area where I live is not peaceful so I thought Wales would be lovely for her and quiet but the care is all the same – about control and manipulation and they try to make out it is for protection.  Elizabeth said that they were protecting her but my thoughts are that they are protecting themselves and their interests.  I do not believe the team at Cambian have much choice but to go along with the Consultant Psychiatrist and I believe that a full investigation should be launched into this doctor and especially because of certain things I have heard.  

All of this points to the fact that urgent change needs to be brought to provide individual tailormade care per person.  A whole review needs to be looked at the way people are assessed and treated as being sub-human.  I have never seen so much cruelty going on as the drugs are not the answer and they actually cause psychosis and suicide (Dr Ann Blake Tracy – Prozac Panacea Pandora) – Dr Candace Pert – Molecules of Emotion.    Having been classed as being “treatment resistant” people like my daughter are being kept on highly dangerous drugs that do not work and there are no facilities within the UK where something can be done about this and also what about if there are serious health concerns to the person and they are experiencing terrible side effects.  The patient just gets ignored and that is care in the UK for you.

If only there were places like Earth House, Root and Branch, Chy Sawel and Soteria.   I am trying to find something collectible to auction and will put out an appeal for this.  I wish providing a meal and show and my gym 37 Degrees are donating a two week block pass.

There are so many other people in the same situation crying out for help right now and not being heard by this Government and yet so much money is wasted.  What is to lose by giving these organisations a chance – the care may not suit everyone but it is important to treat people like human beings and respect that they should have choice in care and there is no choice in care right now for the mentally ill.  Open Dialogue approach is working brilliantly in Finland – why cant Soteria be given a chance and the other organisations as there is big demand for such care.  I really hope that the New Year sees such change from the current cruel care where there is no choice but drug pushing and nothing in the way of therapy.  Money is wasted by the Government and such projects would not be a waste as it is highly expensive to keep someone on a ward for a long time and Elizabeth was on a ward for 2 years and now again long term –  this is clearly not the answer – it is a waste of taxpayers money as the care in the community and care thereafter is totally inadequate and I believe that patients should be  included and allowed to give peer support which is therapeutic to them as well as to a weaker patient.  I believe this is the way forward. 

Since getting the news that I am banned for Xmas to see Elizabeth except for escorted leave I have not felt that great this weekend and was meant to visit a friend at the horrific Bethlem Royal Hospital where I got banned myself from the National Psychosis Unit Fitzmary II Ward.  I cannot say which ward I was planning to visit this time as I could be banned again!  but I know I would not be welcome On Ftizmary II Ward where the staff constantly threatened me with arrest all the time and this was where they cut my visiting hours down to about 1 hr and escorted only.  What can you do in 1 hr. So, looking back to this time, it was a nice day outside and I thought I would go running with my daughter but laughably a nurse there said that they needed to be careful as regards health and safety for the staff and also that I should not go running with my daughter behind any bushes or trees and had to be visible at all times.  I found this as hysterical as the picture of the sniffer dog on the door of the ward (when it is them who are the drugs pushers).  I told this nurse that I was doing them a favour as it was apalling that their staff were unfit and besides they must have been worried that I and my daughter would have outrun the lot of them.  However, sadly Elizabeth could hardly walk let alone run and had to hold onto my arm all the time in the field whilst no doubt the staff from the ward above watched constantly.  It was when we got back to the ward my daughter was taken ill and it was at that moment that I got to find out what drugs they put her on and the drug beginning with ‘M’ was Metformine for diabetes Type II and then I got to find out about the Clozapine – and I also got to find out that doctors were called out in emergency to m y daughter who was suffering heart problems and I found this out when I got back to the ward with some shopping she needed.  I had no idea they had done this – I had no idea they had pushed more drugs at her and that was probably one of the reasons they cut her time with me from a whole day where we used to go to Croydon and Bromely shopping together to just 1 hour and escorted only.  Noone could give me the reason for this at all.

This other ward is even more horrific and there are no windows from what I could see and you got searched  – I was meant to go with someone in my car – I do not like driving on the motorways on my own particularly but unfortunately she could not come and I cancelled because it was too late by this time for the strict visiting hours but  got on the phone to this person that I know and who has been a good friend and supportive towards my daughter.  This friend is wasted on this ward however he is looking after all the patients and has put many good ideas on the board –  this is the kind of patient that should be given paid employment within the NHS.  This person is motivating the patients in a way that the staff cannot and has the energy and enthusiasm to organise things and the intelligence to run things.  It is sad to see that people like this are kept down and besides what a waste of talent which should be used to full in helping others in the community and those that are unreachable to the staff on the ward.  That is the problem with the current system of mental health and care in the community.

I have not heard from my daughter this weekend and am thinking what am I going to do at Xmas – how am I going to get a present and a card to my daughter.  I cannot accept escorted leave or being watched like a hawk and listened to every word of conversation like a criminal in a small pokey room the size of a box room if I was to go down there.  No, I cannot accept this at all – this is insulting and humiliating and especially  bearing in mind the career that I was planning to go into and may still decide to do this.  Of course there are no grounds to ban me as I have had every single security check done on me during my application to join the police force.  The social worker said there was no grounds to replace me  I should think not! in other words there is nothing bad about me that they should replace me as the Nearest Relative.  However when I asked why I am being treated like a criminal noone has got any answers and this is disgusting in my opinion.

Anyway, I have thought about it and come up with some good ideas.  I am already trying to raise some money and forwarding on addresses of possible contacts as regards the funding needed to Soteria and Chy Sawel and the Root and Branch Project who I will contact tomorrow.  I still need to get something collectible to auction as I need a  huge amount of money and it would be nice if I had something a bit better than just a meal and a show provided by me so I will try and get something sorted out about this for my Ebay auction.   I work in the right place but unfortunately I work full time and would have to try and fit this in after work as I am right in the centre of London and there are no end of places that I can try and get something collectible from.

Anyway, I have thought about an appeal on Welsh Radio stations – I want to make sure that  my letter and card gets to my daughter and is not opened by any staff on Xmas Day. I therefore  will put out an appeal to see if anyone can help me seeing as I cannot  bring myself to go and sit in a small room Xmas Day and have every word listened to.     In fact I may as well contact the Welsh radio stations now and advise them of this awkward situation and see if they can help me.

Speaking to this patient on the most horrific ward has made me have more strength and energy than ever because this person was bright and cheerful despite being on a place like hell on earth and was helping and practically running the ward by the sounds of it.  It was uplifting to speak to this person and I thought to myself why should I be down and depressed because of being deprived a decent family Xmas – this in fact makes me all the more determined to succeed in what I am trying to do.  Even if I fail I can at least say I have tried.

Xmas is approaching – I have been left wondering whether I would be allowed to see my daughter at Xmas especially as I am banned from phoning her.  It does not look like I will get to see Elizabeth and how will I get the present to her? 

Yesterday  I had a call from the Manager at Cambian – I could not speak as I was at work.  I had previously written to Elizabeth’s social worker at Enfield Mental Health.  There is nothing but a wall of silence and I do not know what is going on.  I told the social worker that I could not phone at 6pm as I travel home on the underground from work then.  It would seem she got on to Cambian and that is why they were phoning to offer a different slot for my supervised once a week phone call.   Xmas day is on a Tuesday and I am only allowed to ring on a Monday so it looks like they have won as they do not want Elizabeth to have anything to do with  me by the looks of things.

Dr A W of Cambian has written in a letter received today the following:

 “I am of the opinion that at this point in time “Elizabeth’s” mental state is not stable enough for extended unescorted leave home over the Christmas period; however as a hospital we would like to facilitate escorted leave around the Christmas period. 

If you can liaise with C  the Hospital Manager in relation to escorted leave then I’m sure we will be able to accommodate this.

I am going on maternity leave but in my absence Dr …………..will be the Responsible Clinician.”

The above is not true as how come they allowed her out with her father only a week ago UNESCORTED.

So, Cambian are treating me like a criminal and they are trying to destroy the relationship between myself and my daughter and this is also affecting someone else in the family too.   I am prepared to face the world and let strangers judge me.  I think it is terrible what is going on and I am not the only one affected.  I know of quite a few others also in the same position.

I believe Dr A W dislikes me.- she has gone out of her way to exclude me with everything so far and include the father of my daughter. 

Escorted leave did not apply to him and he is not nearest relative and the team at Enfield and SLAM previously tried to replace him with me.  The reason they would like him instead of me is that he has never challenged the drugs or “care” being given.  I know he has gone out and bought a cat and maybe only he will be allowed to have Elizabeth over Xmas.  Cambian Four Star Wards are not treating us the same as parents and are trying to destroy the relationship between myself and  my daughter. Enfield Mental Health are in contact with them and know what is going on and are not giving any information to me at all.  The new social worker has done nothing to answer any of my queries as to what is going on at present.  It is humiliating to have to have escorted leave and have every word of your conversation listened to and no doubt repeated to Dr A W who seems petrified for some reason that I should be allowed 5 minutes alone with my daughter.  Perhaps they are worried she may talk and say she is not happy there.  Perhaps they are worried that she may disclose what is going on behind their closed doors that would interest the world especially as they have won an award as Best Care Provider 2012 recently and had some well known people involved.

They are petrified that I get to see the files as they are worried about legal implications.  If they have called me all the names under the sun then this could be the case but I am not bothered as I have seen it all before “CRUEL, ABUSIVE, OVERBEARING, BUTTING IN ALL THE TIME (WHEN IN FACT I WENT UPSTAIRS TO ALLOW TIME ALONE WITH THIS PROFESSIONAL) HIT HER AS A CHILD, AGGRESSIVE, NASTY.”………………  HERE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS I HAVE BEEN CALLED BY SO CALLED PROFESSIONALS.  

I think the Maudsley, Bethlem Royal Hospital have written some nasty things about me and they do not wish for me to see the files for good reason and also the question is how on earth did my daughter get so many bruises all over her face.   They did not like it when I got hold of lots of their research papers which showed exactly what was going on under this shocking hospital and Dr A W stated to me on the telephone that this was a world wide renowned leading hospital.  Yes —–world wide renowned but for what —-the treatment my daughter had was a disgrace and the way I was treated there was like a criminal. 

I am not surprised at all on hearing that a Broadmoor patient was abused in the Jimmy Saville Case and put into solitary confinement (featured on TV last week).  This goes on all the time under the cruel mental health care of the UK, only much of it does not get into the news and the press would be inundated if they took up every case of abuse as there are so many judging by what I have heard.   They abuse human rights and take control of that person and their rights are stripped from them and you should see some of the shocking wards. 

To think that Dr A W is going to be a mother herself. This Doctor thinks she is like God with the powers given under her job.  I think she has been extremely cruel in what she is doing and now she is off for her maternity leave and going to be a  mother herself!    Dr A W has a lot to answer for in my opinion and my solicitors are bringing matters to court soon in favour of my daughter’s wishes to come off the section.  I cannot say more than this because of the impending court Hearing.  All Cambian want to do is keep her on section – keep pushing the drugs at her at the same level as prescribed by the Maudsley, because it makes it easier for them to have someone so drugged up to their neck that they cannot do anything hardly and are so confused that this same patient is like putty in their hands so they can control and manipulate as much as they like.  They are denying my daughter the chance to have the holistic care under Welsh law that she could choose to be on the minimal rather than maximum of drugs like she is on now.  God knows what damage is being done to her body organs and the longer this goes on her life is at risk.  There is no way I ever want Dr A W to forget the cruel way she is treating my daughter and myself and not only us but another family member at Xmas  which should be a time for families to get together.

Cambian Four Star Wards – Best Care Provider of the Private Sector 2012 –  yet they have destroyed my happiness this Xmas and that is down to Dr A W.

I took the Manager of Cambian out in my car when I last visited, I paid for a meal for everyone – at one point  she suggested my daughter got out of the car and walked alone with her back to the scheme leaving myself and younger daughter to drive a short distance up the road.  Perhaps this was the only time my daughter was allowed out for a bit of fresh air that day. 

I know that Elizabeth enjoyed a firework display recently, I also could see that she was more panic stricken than ever and was petrified of heights when we looked around the local sports centre.  She was never like this once.   

This is what my daughter has said:

“you are overturning the apple cart” – 

“You could lose me altogether if you are not careful” 

“You are interfering with the care”

“the staff at watching me all the time – wherever I go they are watching, Mum” 

“I’ve got to go now”

“I am on 15 minute watch, Mum”

“Its very very strict here Mum”

When asked “is someone preventing you from speaking to me as there is always a problem with your phone?” she responded “Yes, but I cannot say by whom”

“I’ll call the police on them Mum – you are my Mum after all – I’ll have them all arrested” 

“I’d rather go into seclusion for the rest of my life than be on these drugs, Mum – please help me”

“Mum I feel terrible on these drugs I am suffering from this side effect and that –  I need a walking stick – I feel dizzy all the time”

“Mum the doctor had to be called out because of my heart again.

I wonder how Dr A W would respond if she was in my shoes as a mother?

This is what the team are trying to hide: – the last thing they want is for someone like me to know how  badly my daughter feels and whether she is well on these drugs – there are some days she feels OK but she is now isolated now and they have done this deliberately to save themselves from any problems.  Enfield Mental Health, SLAM, Cambian have all played a part in this.

Since being on the high level of drugs she has been put on despite 4 different diagnoses my daughter has got worse – this level of drugs is nothing compared  to another patient whose mother is now my friend and he is on over 1300mg of drugs and classed as being treatment resistant. 

Some mothers I am in touch with are in  highly professional jobs (such as doctors themselves) the sons and daughters affected are from nice backgrounds with decent parents and not abusive parents – not everyone has suffered abuse at home – they may have suffered trauma outside of home and family but then were given anti-depressants and that was that – Dr Candace Pert’s book Molecules of Emotion gives an honest account of these drugs.

How can Dr A W of Cambian Four Star Wards who is expecting a baby herself go off on maternity leave and respond to me as I have shown above that I am not allowed to see my daughter at Xmas?  Even though they say escorted leave, how is that going to work when I am in London and not in Wales?

All of this makes me all the more determined to try and raise some money to see Soteria set up and Chy Sawel and Root and Branch Project as there is no humane care in the UK.  It is all about control, manipulation, chemical brainwashing, destruction of family and isolating that patient even further.  You try to find a human rights lawyer to take matters further in the UK and there is noone to help you.  They say things like they are too busy with workload or else that they simply cannot help you. This shows how lacking the law is in this country and this is what the Government should be addressing but noone wanted to know when I called into Parliament they seemed relieved when I left and I was made to feel like a nuisance and yet just look at how much these politicians earn to represent people and yet noone was able to help me and if your local MP could not help then you should be able to turn to someone else quite frankly.  

I wonder if Dr A W would be so happy if that was her child one day taking all those drugs and I wonder then if she will understand how I feel right now.  For the last time, I am not telling my daughter to stop taking the drugs but I have thoroughly researched them and seen the terrible effects of these drugs on both my daughters and elderly father who had Alzheimers and I have been very very upset at the whole thing as I know you just cannot come off them without professional help and it has to be in the right kind of environmentnot in the community and the project of Root and Branch could be the answer here as a fabulous alternative to the shocking acute wards which can be more traumatic than anything else to a patient suffering trauma.   There is nowhere for this to be done in the UK which is a disgrace (unlike America where they have projects such as Earth House where I would willingly send my daughter for some decent care and the price is reasonable and they do take some referrals from the UK ) -it is far better to be on the minimal rather than maximum amount of drugs and that is what I am asking for – a proper independent assessment and to look at nutrient deficiencies/underlying health problems and the right diet and a reduction in the drugs so that my daughter can think straight.  Cambian do not care about the wellbeing of my daughter by the looks of it one bit.  She is just someone who provides work to their hospital because whilst on this level of drugs she will always be dependent on someone.  I am prepared to pay for a proper assessment through the wonderful Dr William Walsh who said he could help me.  I am not asking for anyone else to pay for this but this way I would know and accept what the diagnosis is and he looks at diet and nutrition and this would fall into the scope of this new holistic law so I have heard that allows choice to patients in Wales. 

On request I have been given forms to complete regarding the carers assessment which I had to request as it is costly to have to travel to and from Wales but then again I have not been going that often as I work full time and have used all my holiday on various hospital meetings I had to attend at the Bethlem Royal Hospital.    Since her move a long distance away, I  have only been to visit twice and now I am not sure even a visit would be allowed.  I do happen to know Elizabeth was allowed out with her father and partner recently alone.  I contrast I have a weekly slot of 6pm every Monday to ring and cannot because I am travelling home from work and so I have nothing much to write at the moment.  It would seem from the very beginning my contact with my daughter has not been encouraged by the team at Cambian Four Star Wards and now I have it in writing that my daughter has requested supervised phone calls only once a week at 6pm. 

Because I cannot phone I asked her sister to tell her that I would not be phoning as I see this an infringement of human rights to listen in to a personal phone call. 

The social worker at Enfield Mental Health has written to say there are no grounds to ban me from Nearest Relative – in other words they cannot find any reason.  As  much as I am against the drugs – there is nothing I can do –  my daughter has no choice but to keep taking them and whilst on a section they can forced the drugs and you can just imagine what must go on behind closed doors if a patient refuses to take the drugs and I have heard many refuse and they have no choice as these drugs are so highly dangerous you cannot just come off them.  Like I have said before there is not one single facility for someone to go in and come off prescribed drugs.  Even if that person has terrible side effects, health problems caused by the drugs themselves – it is like giving someone a life sentence – there are no words to describe how upset I am that Elizabeth got put on these drugs in the first instance and I am sure it was because the anti-depressant Cipralix  did not work, caused her behaviour to become adverse and aggressive like I had never seen before, caused her skin to react and become itchy and scars appeared all over her face whilst taking this terrible drug.  When Elizabeth decided on her own accord to take herself off this drug at 30mg I only wish I knew what i know now just how dangerous the drugs are and that this simply cannot  be done.  That was it, something happened and things got taken out of my hands and sadly this was a pattern of hospital after hospital after hospital admission which made her worse than ever.  I would have Elizabeth back home again if her behaviour was manageable but I do not know how much care she would need in place now and this may mean that I would have to give up my  job which is full time to look after her and then what of her future?  it looks bleak –  a lifetime of drugs, a lifetime of hell and living life like in prison that could end in an early death.  I have just posted a comment on a website stating that it is all very well to speak out but what is being done about things – NOTHING.  This requires money.  I am thinking to myself what can I put on auction to raise money to build an alternative care centre so that at least my daughter is treated in a humane manner because all of these hospitals especially the Maudsley and the private sector Cambian exercise huge control.  I am deeply disappointed as I had read that the private sector hospital was one where they respected and took on the ideas of patients who had been on acute wards.  You get no information whatsoever – they cut you out completely as a parent if you dare to speak up and complain. 

Well I have no regrets for doing this because if noone does this and just complains then that is no good however more – much more needs to be done and there are three organisations which would like to offer alternative care and accommodation and I would really like so much for Elizabeth to go to such a place where the care is not all about drugs and imprisonment however measures have to be put in place for the possibility of someone becoming unwell on say a lower dosage of drugs however, there are more and more experts and nutritionists and alternative therapists that could help in such a way that could resolve all of these problems.    If only you could see what I have seen – the suffering and the state of some of these wards and speaking to the patients who are human beings and are treated like rubbish, stripped of their human rights and drugged up to their necks to make life easier for the staff.

On the bright side I have joined a fabulous new gym near to where I work.  I think exercise is so important and so is diet. Elizabeth once took a keen interest in diety and nutrition but now she craves for junk food and sugary things like never before.  I believe this is as a result of the drugs she is on.  When she was in the local area I used to take her to my local gym  on occasions, but then she became worse and worse to the point she no longer wanted to do anything any more.   I have not heard whether she will be coming home at Xmas or if I will be allowed to see her at all during this time. Such is the control of the private sector hospital where she is right now (Cambian) that so far I have only been allowed supervised visits and now supervised phone calls only and now I do not bother to ring any more because I see that as an infringement of human rights.  I think that she will be allowed to see her father over Xmas but not me – I am not looking forward to Xmas this year at all.  On these rare occasions it is nice for the family to get together but I do not know if that will be possible this year.

I cannot say too much about what is going on right now but I have asked for more information from her social worker as to what is going on as you are not told anything.

Whilst my daughter is like in a prison environment where the control is enormous, my life too is like that because you feel in a trapped situation when someone is miles away there is nothing you can do or change the situation other than through court and now this is up in the air and may  not take place before Xmas due to an error on the part of the court so I understand.

The more I think of the projects to be properly funded in order to be up and running such as Soteria, Chy-Sawel and Root and Branch the more I want to do something about the situation and there are enough people right now commenting on recent press articles and reports such as the Schizophrenia Commission etc.  There are enough books and conferences arranged to educate people and professionals in terms of mental health care but why is there nothing properly funded and set up – surely this would be the best thing of all.

Before Xmas I intend to try and raise the money needed for a choice in care needed by so many people like my daughter and others trapped in the current system that is not working and failing for so many.  The care is not working because acute wards are volatile places to be at times that are noisy and distressing to some patients and the only care available is to drug them up which does not solve the problems and then that patient is back time and time again.  It is a waste of taxpayers money.  In that environment I have noticed how certain patients like my daughter take it upon themselves to look after other more vulnerable patients on the ward.  I believe that there is a role for some of these patients in supporting others and all too often it is lack of friendship and company when a patient becomes isolated in the community.  Patients are kept down and there is no integration encouraged as most activities are currently in-house.  At the moment everyone is treated the same and drugs pushed at that person and on section they are forced to take them.  However, there needs to be a thorough look at everything from proper assessment to patient involvement and not allowing patients to get to the stage where they lose complete hope and give up caring any more.    The drugging of patients is very wrong in my opinion and cruel and not the answer and the drugs themselves cause violence, aggression and psychosis.    The support in the community is totally inadequate – these community hostel style places where they are supposed to offer 24 hr care do not work for everyone.  Elizabeth became isolated in such a scheme and if a place like Root and Branch Project was up and running then she would have more support, companionship – a reason to want to do things and be involved in activities.   The minute someone suffers from any form of psychosis they are dumped on acute wards and their drugs often raised and then in no time dumped back into society – this is all wrong – this is not care.

A person cannot always return home – sometimes that person can be so affected by the drugs that their behavior can change beyond recognition and they suffer from Akathisia That person who becomes so dependant from staying in a hospital environment for two years like Elizabeth becomes in need of more one to one care on discharge.     At first whilst on the ward, Elizabeth wanted a job on the ward and then wanted to go to college.  I had to provide and help with these two opportunities as nothing was being done and patients were just left to lie around drugged up to their necks on chemicals.  Years later the decline has been extreme where Elizabeth could not longer care less and had lost interest in everything – what is wrong with such care that allows someone to get to this state in the first place – everything in my opinion.     Like I sa, it is not a matter of these patients being lazy –  if you were on close to 1000mg of drugs what could you do?  The drugs make someone lethargic and unable to think and even more mixed up than before.  What about the long term health of that poor person even when their diagnosis is in doubt and experts disagree as per the files which I have.   My daughter’s life is at risk and so are others stuck in a cruel abusive system where people are talking but more needs to be done to get things up and running but when is the Government going to do something to help these people?  It is good that Ed Milliband spoke about the mental health and I applaud him – others have been dismissive and noone really wanted to be bothered to see me when I called with Elizabeth to Parliament – just talking is not enough – I want to see action.-  that is why I am going to at least try and raise the money needed to get these projects off the ground so that my daughter and some others can benefit from this and then maybe the Government will take notice in the end.

I got to hear about this at the Chy Sawel Conference.

The inspiration for such a project came from someone who witnessed the treatment of his partner whilst sectioned on a psychiatric ward and I would thoroughly agree that there should be an alternative as it is extremely traumatic for someone to go  into a hospital environment on a noisy and volatile atmosphere on an acute ward.   During the day when the doctors arrive everything is organised but that is not the case some evenings when the ward is full to capacity.   What someone who is experiencing mental trauma needs is peace and quiet and to be cared for in a humane manner but human rights are all too often ignored and the current care is detrimental to the patient – it does not address the underlying reasons for the mental illness.  It is often based on guesswork by professionals – after all as my daughter said to me “they cannot see what is in my head, Mum”.  Someone can end up being more traumatised being on these wards where the care is just drugs to keep a patient quiet and easy to manage for the staff.  There is nothing to do at the weekends on many of these wards.   The thought of low-impact dwellings and a community environment is very appealing and a much healthier alternative, rather than a ward full of others who are likewise disturbed that is like a prison camp. 

The long term aim of the Root and Branch Project is to find a mostly wooded site to turn into a sanctuary/retreat and split into two areas:

Crisis – where people experiencing mania/psychosis can go into  who want to avoid the need for hospital.  Who better to be involved than some who have experienced such things themselves as peers and have a true understanding of what that person is going through.  This area would have 24 hr support per day when necessary.  There would be professional involvement alongside the peers.  This is what is lacking today – there are no facilities for someone to go into and even on the drugs someone can suffer psychosis especially when the affects of these chemicals where off and they end up suffering from Akathisia like my daughter did.  She said it felt like she was “crawling out of her skin”.  No-one did anything about this and her behaviour was becoming more and more desperate.  At present they have a so called “Crisis Team” – what good is this when they choose to stay away for their own safety when dealing with someone in the community who is unstable.  That person is left to go downhill because staff think of health and safety and that person who is not eating properly, not being offered the so called “medication” goes downhill – this is where care in the community fails so many.  There should be teams of peers/mentors to visit each and every person of around the same age as that person who is perhaps studying for psychology.  My daughter yearned for company of her own age and someone to knock on the door but the only people to knock on the door were members of staff to tell her to do things or take the drugs or myself who had to come and help at weekends as everything was going to pieces.  Someone like my daughter would have benefitted from the company of someone not suffering from mental illness but just as a companion to go to the cinema and places like that – to encourage her rather than to tell her what to do like the staff did and her reaction was that she wanted to be left alone.

The other section of this proposed scheme would be:

Health & Well Being –  this is a much larger area including allotments, art/crafts/workshops staffed by volunteers to help those with depression, anxiety, to avoid relapse, providing the crisis area with food, washing etc and funding.   A relapse can easily occur when someone living in the community ends up not looking after themselves and there is inadequate care in place – these people are already isolated in some cases from their friends and family and being on their own can lead to increased depression.  What a good idea!

This project could be self-sufficient but I think that funding should come from the Government to get patients and people like alternative therapists, nutritionists, counsellors and carers/familiies involved in such a project.   The current care is not working for many people and if someone is experiencing severe health problems with heart and lungs then it is extremely cruel to expect them to take these harmful drugs for the rest of their lives.  There are experts who can help someone safely reduce off the drugs but this should not be done unless a doctor is involved and with peer support and assistance this would avoid the terrible withdrawal and psychosis experienced otherwise if not done properly.  They tell a patient they have to be on the drugs for the rest of their lives when this is not true however whilst living in the community, this is not a good idea to attempt to come off the drugs and can lead to suicide for instance.  As this is risky, professionals need to be involved and yes there are professionals who feel that drugs are not the answer and that a patient should be listened to.  There is more than one expert doctor who will say that it is not impossible to come off or be reduced off the drugs, if done correctly.

Acceptance and Referrals:

At present it is difficult to get any kind of referral outside the area where you live but sometimes it is a good thing to get away from the local environment especially when something bad has  happened to that person to get them under mental health services in the first place.  At the moment, social services at local level do not like for the most part to give funding to anything outside the Borough and when there are no facilities that are suitable within the local area that person is in a no win situation and does not get any better.  Moving away temporarily may suit some people and it is these people who are blocking beds for others at local level when they are constantly returning back to the acute ward and not getting any better.   In cases where all else has failed, I think that this choice should be offered to the patient – it may not suit everyone, but it may be the making of that person who can move on with their lives and even be involved in the Root and Branch Project to help others get better.   If there was one to one mentors in terms of peer support this is more care and attention than a patient would ever experience under the hospitals where patients suffer being ignored and languish on acute wards and that can last for nearly 2 years as in the case of my daughter because this is the length of time it took to find a placement which in the end was not suitable.  I noticed Elizabeth responded more under her scheme to a “friend” and former resident than the staff themselves.  That says it all!  I would be happy for Elizabeth to go somewhere like this provided care was taken to ensure her safety due to vulnerability – she is less likely to be abused in this kind of care than on the acute wards which are often like a war zone in my opinion.  The fact is from the information given in the 12 years that Soteria House operated for (plus with other similar projects) there was not one serious incident that resulted in serious harm to anyone.

Dwellings:

The dwellings would be log cabins possibly – no permanent buildings.  This is much nicer than a huge intimidating hospital or even a noisy scheme where other residents have music blaring.

The Lammas Project/Community and ‘cob’, low impact buildings look magical – this is the place my daughter should be in – not some rigid prison camp of a hospital!  There should be places like this in the countryside away from bustling towns to provide to provide the decent care I can see in this project.  This kind of care is just what is needed for choice –  it is therapeutic as the day will involve cooking, cleaning, discussing problems and issues, story telling, singing/music making, art/craft, ritual and community.  How wonderful – people will gather round an open fire which will be an important central feature – the cooking and gardening aspects are healthy and better than the junk shop food that many mentally ill people turn to in the community where the care is apalling.  When someone is in the heights of mania of psychosis they will be encouraged to staff in the m ain crisis area away from the Health & Wellbeing Area where more specialist care will be given (if only Government funding is provided).   The professionals and social services are only too happy to experiment with the drugs – even social services got involved in trying to push Clozapine at my daughter – however what is wrong with a trial for someone who is deemed as say treatment resistant at such a project.  What is wrong with this?  If it does not work out then at least this option has been tried – far better than just pushing drugs left right and centre. 

I like the idea that family and friends are welcomed (UNLIKE THE RECENT SO CALLED “CARE” I HAVE WITNESSED).  I like the fact there will be trips and a lot of support – that is the problem with care in the community – there is not enough support – mental health patients are not given the right kind of encouragement and everything is in house of course but they become isolated from the rest of society because there simply is not enough care and support in the community. I have witnessed patients begging to go back on the wards which is so very sad as these are awful places to be and yet that person is alone and isolated in the community and feels unable to cope.  A patient becomes accustomed when institutionalised to become dependent on others and that once independent person loses all concept of real life and their confidence is shattered.  That is what is wrong with today’s care.

Funding:

It would not hurt the Government to provide the funding for such a wonderful project when they waste taxpayers money left right and centre.  Mostly the biggest waste of money is by giving the psychiatric drugs to patients where they do not even work.   The Government is turning a blind eye to the drugging of patients who do not get better in some cases and are classed as being treatment resistant and also it is like giving a life sentence to someone where the diagnosis is in question like my daughter.   Treatment resistant! – This is rubbish in my opinion – that is because the correct treatment has not been given in the first place and it is obvious that the answer is not drugs.

There should be grants given –  heating could be solar powered, many mentally ill people could benefit as they could be involved in  helping to get this project off the ground as some are the most intelligent people you could ever imagine and it is a waste of talent when that person is drugged up to their necks on chemicals.   They are currently thrown into a prison like environment run by the NHS.  The NHS could save their money and spend it on other care like improving A&E and may other things but their mental health care does not work in many cases and this is eating up funding and resources by patients returning time and time again to the ward and not getting any better.  Also the supplying of these drugs must be astronomic – what a waste of money and a waste of talent!   

The Government wants to strip people of benefits – they cannot work because these drugs in many cases render them incapable – it is not a case of them being lazy – my daughter was incapable of getting to an appointment and there was no support given to her It is not a case of mentally ill people being lazy.    If people like Janet Street Porter and Jeremy Clarkson go on about their self opinions on mentally ill people then they are narrow minded and ignorant in my opinion and they should be doing something to help get this project off the grounds instead of coming out with comments that are unhelpful and useless.  I am just a mother but what is needed is support from celebrities such as these instead of  criticism.  I am not ashamed to associate myself with what I would describe as some of the nicest and most caring people in society and many of these people could offer more support than some of the professionals currently involved in the rotten care system.

This project would provide work and employment to many people – many people under the mental health would like to work but once labelled with a diagnosis, people are wary and this is because they read about things in the papers but little do many people know that the pharmaceutical industry and the drugs they supply are the cause – a mentally ill patient is not dangerous but anyone coming off drugs can suffer psychosis and that is where help is not being given.  If someone is on illicit drugs they get the help but what if someone is on psychiatric drugs and has been labelled with several diagnoses – what help is there to come off and be reduced and also what help is there for someone experiencing terrible side effects and health problems on these drugs – the fact is THERE IS NO PROOF OF DIAGNOSES AND THESE PEOPLE ARE GIVEN A LIFE SENTENCE OF FORCED  DRUG TAKING WHICH IS CRUEL AND ABUSIVE.   These drugs like anti-depressants are known by the doctors to cause terrible harm and change a once placid person into someone unrecognisable and the behaviour is entirely down to the drugs not to their condition yet because of the big profits involved this practise is allowed to continue and many so called professionals know only too well that the drugs can cause severe aggression and violence and also suicide yet nothing is done.  They are approved by the FDA but many drugs companies infiltrate the approvals process and Prof Healy documents this in his book Pharamageddon.  Dr Ann Blake Tracy and Dr Candace Pert document in their books the dangers of these drugs known to many professionals yet the easier option is to keep someone on them for the rest of their lives.