"Experience at the Linden Centre and discharge..."

I was admitted to the Linden

Centre in November 2015 after attempting suicide twice with depression and anxiety.

Staff were considerate and kind and caring.

However I found myself so bored as stimulating actitvities ranged from ten minute mindful sessions ( I had practised this a lot myself and ended up giving tapes to the staff who knew less about it than me - mindfulness cannot work for just ten minutes yet it was the only thing to do some mornings).

Actiivities were regularly cancelled without any notice which left me feeling so much at a loose end.

~I felt criminalised with aggressive searching by night staff in particular if I had gone out for a walk and it took so very long to sort paperwork for any excursion you had lost the will to go out sometime -up to an hour just to walk over to the cafe at Broomfleld

Hospital.

The food was designed to make us sleepy and complacent I gained a stone whilst there for the month - stodgy big puddings, doughy white toast, biscuits -we were given far too many carbs/sugar.

My care worker did not have any time for me but churned out the necessary paperwork with reviews often containing repetition of information, riddled with typing mistakes and clearly to me the information was pasted in without any due care or attention as my friend showed me her care plan and the exact same paragraphs were within that.

I was informed on one document that I was a regular self harmer which really upset me as I am not - nurses seemed to busy with admin they got things very wrong in our personal care.

Some staff were so empathetic and took time to counsel and be with you - just hug you.

The majority of staff however, in particular night staff I found unapproachable and at times quite threatening.

i cannnot praise enough my care upon discharge.

i attended all the recovery courses which were difficult as I recognised people there who were from a much more awful place than myself and this was not very motivating especially when it became too much of a platform for their experiences at the Linden Centre - I felt the deliverers should have said this was not the place to complain but to look forward.

My employment specialist and my support worker were both outstanding in their care towards me.

They were a constant sort of support - if I texted i knew a response would be there within hours.

My employment specialist in particular who I saw at the hospital gave me hope and motivation that I woulld retain my job as a teacher.

They were professional and impartial and a very warm and sensitive person who cared for me with such attention to detail with specialist knowledge that my journey back to work felt very stress free and very much a collaborative journey too.

They attended and took me to three meetings back at my college and directed my employer towards the support i would receive on my transition back to work in a very honest fashion.

My support worker was a sensitive listener and gave me practical coping strategies.