The Priory - AIBU?!

[secretnameoops]

Okay so changed my name for this...

To try and cut a long story short, I'm fucking fuming.

So last year I was sent to The Priory mental health unit. For those of you who don't know what this is, The Priory is a private company who supplies rehab, mental health unit etc. Celebrities use this.

I was very unwell last year, and there were no bed spaces under the NHS. So the NHS actually funded me to stay there at a disgusting rate of £600 a day.

In that time, I ended up having what I now realise is an inappropriate relationship with a psychiatric nurse at this hospital.

I was there for severe PTSD from a sexual assault. I was psychotic, hallucinating the lot.

This member of staff took advantage of me big time. I had been raped, he knew this, but still thought it was ok to have a relationship with me? I don't remember a lot, I was on a lot of medications at the time and the hospital would just drug you up.

So the hospital found out and suspended him instantly then struck him off. I've tried to put in complaint after complaint. All I want is a public apology and they won't give it to me.

They've turned off their ability to leave reviews on their page, the hospital page has disappeared.

When I got a bit better I reported them to CQC governing body. In the last month, I've been informed that they are now under investigation.

I saw so much bad shit there, patients left to harm themselves. One patient was left for 2 hours banging her head against the wall because they couldn't be bothered to intervene. She was a schizophrenic.

I don't even know why I'm posting about this, I'm just so angry that they won't even acknowledge anything. It was an even more traumatic time being there than if I was left alone.

AIBU for pushing this after so many months to get my apology?

I'm sorry to hear of what you've been through OP.

I'm a lawyer and I deal with cases of abuse in hospitals, clinics, care homes etc. Unfortunately it happens more than anyone realises. It's an absolute disgrace. The fact is that wherever you find vulnerable people you will find others wanting to prey on them. The organisations should have systems in place to ensure that no harm is caused (e.g. no closed door one on one observations etc) but there are failings and the harm that is caused can be immense. It's a huge abuse of trust and can really mess up a person's future ability to engage with treatment because it all happens in that therapeutic setting.

A court can't order an apology but they are sometimes sought and obtained through the case. They also have to provide disclosure about their systems and changes etc which can be helpful.

If it's something you'd like to know more about OP just drop me a message.

Take care.

Hey @secretnameoops thank you for sharing and being strong enough to describe your experience.

Having spent time at mental health places, I was offered the Priory by my parents - and promptly then read a number of negative and highly critical posts online from people who had suffered experiences that clearly shouldn’t be happening at any institution designed to help people get better.

It’s a disappointment because perhaps the Roehampton one has all the star doctors/toys and the rest trade off the celebrity name, I don’t know.

However anywhere that makes serious money treating vulnerable people, should be subjected to serious public penalties if someone is found to be abusing trust and responsibility at a time of vulnerability

to you hope you’re ok.

Op what do you mean “the police became involved” and now it’s recorded on his DBS

This doesn’t quite ring true I’m afraid.

If you reported a rape, the police would do a little more than become “involved” and a DBS update

The NHS “apologised” when you told them you’d been raped?

Sorry not raped.

An inappropriate rel

Sorry op my mistake

Have you tried getting an apology via the Court of Twitter?

Certainly priory has been in press after the death of Amy El-Keira
It’s a supply and demand issue there simply aren’t enough MH beds,
clients wait in A&E,s136 suite to get a bed and trusts have to buy ecr beds
And more beds will require significant investment and building programme to build the MH units

I am sorry that op had a dreadful time during admission
I’m not a nurse,bit obviously misconduct gets reported to NMC
I see op reports it has been addressed ,and he was struck off.
Unlikely that he’ll individually apologise for the misconduct
I wish you well op and hope you make a recovery despite the poor treatment you report

@Romax Well it is true. He was reported to Cambridge police and they have informed DBS that he is not to work with vulnerable adults and children. Why would I lie about that?

In relation to the rape, that was prior to my stay at the unit. Subsequently I was diagnosed with PTSD which led to me being sent to a unit...

Thanks for trying to make me look stupid.

Not all Priory’s are equal I had a very positive stay in one recently I was in for 3 months they were excellent and the care I was given was beyond good

Secretnameoops you don’t have to have an encyclopaedic recall of a traumatic set of events
I believe you

@secretnameoops Sorry if I’ve also triggered...I am 100% with you...take care .

Op,edithdickie has written an excellent post

@EdithDickie thank you for your post, I was send you an inbox.

@IrishGal21 I've tried things like that yeah, get no response whatsoever.

@LipstickHandbagCoffee thank you

Take care secretnameoops and wee steps,and don’t beat yourself up with what ifs and should have

That sounds terrible op,but I have known it too happen in NHS mental health units too,when I was a metap.health nurses ex colleague twice had inappropriate relationships with two patients the second time he was dismissed and had his Pin removed by the NMC

@x2boys blimey, must be more common than I originally thought!

@x2boys and I cant believe he was dismissed after the second time, not the first

I'm so sick and tired of people's incessant kicking of the mental health services. It is one of the most difficult services to work in, made more difficult by poor staffing levels not to mention the gray area that is mental health anyway! I work for a priory hospital and try damn hard to give my patients a high and consistent level of care, as do all my colleagues! It's so hard not to take it personally. Can you imagine what the NHS would do without priory?

One more,if you do work in MH you’ll understand it’s a vulnerable & scary time for clients
I understand your immediate ouch!and defensiveness it is to be expected as you feel attacked
It’s a struggling under resourced system staffed by people largely trying to do the right thing
When the very people who should be safe do the wrong thing it can’t be ignored
Clients,their families,friends,staff must speak up and out about shortcomings in MH system. As unpalatable as it is it’s a discussion that need to be had

In an ideal world the nhs trusts wouldn’t use the priory an external for profit organisation
There would be enough available beds for vulnerable individuals

Lipstick

You're right, I was defensive in post. Sorry about that, it wasn't intended to shut down the shortcomings in the services.

It definitely is a very scary time for service users and their families, and in relation to the OPs terrible experience and so pleased the NMC struck the nurse off the register - brilliant outcome.

It sometimes seems people (not the OP for sharing this) want to kick the service so far down, it can't get back up. I guess I'm wondering why we can't see it for what it is, and try to build it up instead? Surely that's in everyone's best interests, people desperately rely on these services.

Yes, in an ideal world no one would ever benefit from the suffering of others.

I'm not going into detail but as an adolescent in an adult mental health ward I had an inappropriate relationship with a nurse. Nothing happened I don't think we were as aware them unfortunately.