"Mental Health Services in and around skegness"

I have suffered with depression for many years and have tried to get help for the past ten years. I was recently referred to Holly Lodge CBT team by my team of unsympathetic doctors.

I had an assessment and then waited for my appointment. When my appointment finally came through I went and was very disappointed. No notes could be found and the attitude received from the receptionists I met as if to say we have heard it all before and don't really care.

I then received another appointment which I could not make due to having to pick my son up from school. I rang and cancelled this and was told to wait for a phone call from my practitioner the following day. Its now a week since I rang and have had no response.

I therefore rang them repeatedly, with no answer time and time again. I finally got someone to answer after leaving the phone ringing on a loudspeaker for over 5 mins, to get again a very rude and unsympathetic receptionist tell me (whilst I'm in floods of tears begging to speak to someone) she does not have to listen to this and put the phone down on me. This, anyone who has mental health issues would understand, made me feel even worse.

I persevered and rang again to get a different receptionist that again told me, we just pass the messages on and it is down to the practitioner to phone. So still in a very bad place, I phoned my mum who has gone through similar depression and now has early onset Alzheimers. She took the number from me to ring them herself. Again faced with a rude receptionist my mum tried to get to speak to someone who could help.

Unfortunately, because of my mums illness, when asked my surname she could not remember it. The receptionist said "You can't remember your own daughters name?" My mum then had to explain her situation. Unbelievable. If people are in the type of work I thought they should show some kind of sympathy or empathy. None of these are obviously needed when the Lincolnshire NHS trust employ their staff. I am disgusted, upset, angry to the point I have now given up trying to get help.

I would also like to add that this is not just the NHS as a whole. I am originally from Stoke-on-Trent and this is where my mum still lives. She has received fantastic treatment from their mental health services. They are sympathetic, they don't pass judgement and just do care.