My father called the NHS 24 one evening feeling suicidal. This was his first time calling the NHS for any sort of help ever. My father had suffered from mental health issues after a breakdown and never recovered after many years but it was always stabilised and maintained with minimal support. However my fathers mental ability and capacity was very poor therefore sensitive communication skills were needed when speaking with him for example speaking slowly and with short sentences not with too much information or mentally his mind could not interpret.
I spoke with my father the day after speaking with NHS and he explained how it was very difficult for him to answer the amount of questions asked and he was on the phone for half an hour and never got any further forward to the appropriate persons (psychiatric nurses or advice) my father ended up hanging the phone up feeling exhausted after the conversation and amount of information explained.
Sadly my father did commit suicide 4 days later. The GP admitted my dad to a general ward because he was spitting up blood (which was normal for him due to having constant lung infections) but I emphasised to the doctors in the ward that it was psychiatric help he needed and that the symptoms of his mental state were manifesting physically but they just looked at me as if I didn't know what I was talking about.
Father did tell the medics he was suicidal and they discharged him the next day. I arranged for the crisis psychiatric team to come to the house a couple of times. This was new to dad as he never needed this input before but it was of no help. He committed suicide 3 days later.
I think there should be a mental health line in the NHS 24.
I feel also that if my father was admitted to a psychiatric ward and given the correct treatment this may have saved his life.
: -(
The daughter of an amazing loving father.
"My poor fathers cry for help"
About: NHS 24 NHS 24 Western Infirmary/Gartnavel General / General Medicine Western Infirmary/Gartnavel General General Medicine G11 6NT
Posted by LIFE (as ),
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