After several years of stable functioning, my mental health deteriorated quite suddenly and I attended A&E to see the Crisis team for some de-escalation. I was told there was a long wait and I would have to wait some time. This truly did not matter - I was absolutely amazed by the quality of treatment I received from the Crisis team. They were obviously working a long time past the end of their shift but they made me feel as if I was the first person they had seen all day and that they had all the time in the world for me. Due to the urges I was having and my out-of-control emotions, I had to have the most embarrassing, humiliating conversation I think I have ever had with anyone. It didn't matter to them - they were utterly non-judgemental, cool and reassuring. I went home that night, still feeling frightened and in some danger - but reassured that I had been taken seriously and that I was in very good hands. The quality of follow-up care that I have received since has also been impressive. I am still unwell and frustrated that my daily functioning is limited but I trust your staff to help me recover. I think I was in A&E for about 7 hours. It didn't matter. My experience shows how irrelevant the 4-hr target times can be. You MUST start taking more account of the quality of care provided rather than the time taken to provide it - and I am a member of hospital staff so I speak from both perspectives. Your mental health team were so thorough and careful, even though they had a heavy caseload, that they must have given each of their patients the excellent care they gave me. That is well worth waiting for and they were outstanding. Thank you
"Mental health in A&E"
About: Salford Royal Salford Royal Salford M6 8HD
Posted via nhs.uk
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