Having share waiting room with secure forensic patients

[EmilyBStarr]

I have a monthly prescription for a controlled substance which I have to collect in person from the psychiatric hospital where my consultant is based. The adult ADHD service I am treated by is based inside the secure perimeter of a medium secure male forensic ward. This means that when I wait for them to bring me my prescription (which can take 20 minutes) I am seated in a waiting room with 1 or 2 of the ward's patients, who are waiting their turn to be seen by a doctor/nurse. None of them has ever done anything but stare at me, but I feel extremely uncomfortable with this. This set up also means that I am unable to take my children to collect the prescription with me, is thus a significant logistical issue as they are not in school or childcare. Is this a reasonable/common set up, and am I being oversensitive in not liking this?

I don't think you're being oversensitive. If people are making you feel nervous / frightened, that's not acceptable. I wouldn't feel comfortable with strangers (male) staring at me either. I've had to visit a relative in a psych hospital and it was really grim. I felt awful for him, for the other patients, and for the visitors.

Could you wait in the hospital's main reception area maybe, after you've checked in to your clinic and let them know that you're ready?

Can you not get the prescription done in a different way - could the GP not take over prescribing it? I have several controlled meds, and antipsychotics etc, all taken over by GP and goes straight to the pharmacy for collection...maybe ask, it is shared care.

Or get them to post it to you / pharmacy

You should be able to collect from a pharmacy surely?

They won't let me collect it from a pharmacy, or let my gp prescribe it, I asked my consultant about both options. I'm not clear why. I think maybe adult ADHD medication is something gps have little experience in. The service is not great in many ways but tbh I'm so glad to have managed to access NHS care for this that I don't want to make too much of a fuss

And unfortunately there's no main reception- the hospital is made up of lots of smaller buildings spread out over a larger area. It just seems a bit bizarre that these men are deemed too dangerous to be out in society but I have to sit in a room alone with them!

In that case, can you stand by the pharmacy counter while they make up your prescription, and tell them that you don't feel safe in the waiting room? Or is the pharmacy in a separate room with no patient access at all?

Maybe speak to the PALS at the MH trust to get it changed

Are they not supervised, with minders? Is there CCTV so someone can see what's going on? Can you take a rape alarm to make yourself feel safer? (That's what staff used to carry on secure units, IIRC.)
Ask that they or you have a minder.

You should be able to get them from your local GP and chemist, my local chemist have them in a safe as does DH's (different) chemist. We both take controlled drugs although not ADHD medication.

Be curious to see the units risk assessment register....

Are you in East Scotland OP?

Have you told your psychiatrist?

If it helps I used to work in a medium secure unit. If they're immediately risky they'd most likely be escorted by a member of staff while waiting. A lot tend not to be immediately risky too (for example, committed an offence when psychotic but are now well and thus not a risk)

Sorry though, I can see it would be stressful

How many months has this happened now?

I'd be making a complaint, it's absolutely not on.