"Emergency Admissions Unit/ Princess Royal/ Mental Health "

Recently my sister was admitted to the emergency admissions ward for psychiatric assessment at Princess Royal Hospital near Orpington.

After some bad experiences in other areas of care we were quite nervous about this admission so are very pleased to be able to report that the care from the staff was excellent. The supportive environment was a great help to my sister who was facing mental health assessments.

We were given a separate en-suite room which meant my sister had privacy and I was allowed to stay with her the whole night which was very important for her as one of her issues is agoraphobia. While we were there the room was frequently cleaned by very pleasant staff who managed to be unobtrusive while cleaning thoroughly.

The nursing staff were friendly, responding promptly to any requests e. g. for water refils, towels for shower, information about treatment plans. It was also great to see a whole team that displayed positive attitudes towards patients with mental health problems My sisters named nurse was particularly fantastic. She came across as very compassionate, committed and open. She did her best to answer any questions we had and when she didn't know the answer she told us and made the effort to find out for us. She stayed with my sister when I had to go to other places in the hospital and helped her feel safe. She did a great job of encouraging her and boosting her self esteem. I'm sure her positive, warm approach will have done wonders in helping my sister move forward from a mental health crisis.