Mask shamed (disability), complain? (Some TMI)

[Maskwoes]

I've NCed for this thread as I expect the details I share will make the case highly identifiable. MNHQ can confirm I'm a member of some years.

I have several disabilities, physical and psychological. I am unable to wear a face mask because I have PTSD from sexual trauma as a young teen. I'm sorry for TMI but it's relevant to the case - I was raped and penetrated in my mouth too. Due to this nothing can cover my mouth, it's an instant panic attack.

I had to attend a hospital yesterday - minor injuries unit. I approached to book in and was instantly ordered to put on a mask, one was offered, to which I replied I was unable to do so due to a mental health condition. She fetched a nurse who asked why I was refusing to wear one, and that if I did not then I would be removed from the unit. This area is very open and very public, with other patients being seen at the side of me.

I was becoming extremely anxious at this point and explained that I have PTSD. They wanted details. I was essentially railroaded into detailing what happened as a teen. I was told to wait and then taken into a room with a doctor and another nurse. I again had to explain in detail my PTSD. I was then offered a visor type mask which I found very claustrophobic and in all honesty unbearable.

I was then triaged, assessed and treated. In total I explained everything three times, had an hour-long major panic attack in the car afterwards and have been very on edge, upset, and on the edge of more panic attacks. I had two more overnight and haven't slept, am very upset.

I'm extremely pissed off in truth and am wondering whether I should complain, through which channels, how far to push and what the outcome would likely be.

I'm posting this in AIBU as I want the brutally honest views!

Thank you for reading.

Now to put ourselves in their shoes, let's not forget that for the last 4 months they are overworked, dealing with a deadly disease than some of them had caught and died from because of the job they do

Tough shit. However awful it has been for anyone else, that does not give anyone the excuse to bully, belittle and shame a patient for having a reason for not wearing a mask. And he was wearing an exemption lanyard. It was ignored.

Do you want someone with that attitude towards a vulnerable person caring for you or your loved ones when you are at your most vulnerable?

@Daftodil

I appreciate you were upset by the situation, and I'm sorry for your experiences. However... health care providers aren't one homogeneous mob, they may have been dealing with dozens of people and it is quite usual for patients to have to reiterate things to different doctors and nurses because doctors and nurses don't have enough time in the day to tell every colleague about every patient/write down/read or remember every detail of everything their colleagues tell them. They are only human and may have their own traumas to deal with (like seeing countless patients dying, having to break bad news to loved ones etc) or may have had to deal with complaints from other patients that your not wearing a mask has raised. As I say, I'm sorry for your experiences, but you not wearing a mask does potentially put other people at risk and you seem completely unable to take this into account. The idea of suing about it is absurd. Suing the nhs should be if there has been gross misconduct, botched surgery or similar, not because you are offended.

The fact that op was wearing a lanyard and explained it was because of PTSD should have been enough. There was no need for him to relive hid trauma in a room full of strangers nor repeat it 3 times. The fact that he was exempt and was taken to another area was enough the staff could easily have said to whoever dealt with him "He is exempt due to PTSD" end of. The staff should have accepted he was exempt. Its not thier place to bully a patient. He wasn't "offended" he was humiliated in public and firced to tell private details in front of a room full of strangers thats not on in any circunstsnce then again and in front of staff a further twice. He has every right to complain loudly.

There is no difference to exemption from wearing a mask in hospital settings, https://patient.info/news-and-features/what-are-the-latest-rules-on-face-coverings-in-the-uk?utmmedium=app&utmmcampaign=covidhub&utmsource=PAAWEB

Quote: Some people are exempt from the new rules on face coverings including:
Children under 11 years old.
People unable to put on, wear or take off a mask due to a disability.
People with breathing difficulties.
Those travelling with someone who relies on lip reading.

Hospitals
As well as public transport, it is now compulsory to wear a face covering when visiting a hospital or attending as an outpatient. Hospitals already have extensive measures in place to reduce the risk to both patients and staff - wearing a face covering is an additional measure to reduce the risk from coronavirus.
Again, the same groups are exempt, including children and people with disabilities.

patient.info is not an official site. I'm not saying it's disreputable or anything but it's a privately run website.

Googling 'NHS Trust face coverings' is interesting. They're all different, with different exemptions. E.g. -

East Sussex

• children under the age of 3.
• if you have a physical or mental illness or impairment, or a disability that means you cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering
• if putting on, wearing or removing a face covering would cause you severe distress
• if you are providing assistance to, someone who relies on lip reading to communicate
• if you need to eat, drink, or take medication you can remove your face covering

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals

• Young children under the age of 3
• Anyone with anatomical difficulties that would make wearing a face mask impossible or painful e.g. facial injuries
• People with breathing difficulties
• Anyone who experiences severe discomfort or distress while wearing a face mask e.g. those with severe claustrophobia
• Anyone unable to remove their mask without assistance.

Cambridge University Hospitals

• Young children under the age of 2
• Anyone with breathing or developmental difficulties
• An unconscious person
• Anyone who experiences genuine discomfort or distress while wearing a face mask
• Pregnant women who have gone into labour
• Anyone unable to remove their mask without assistance

Leeds Teaching Hospitals
No mention of any exemptions at all

North West Boroughs
In line with Government exemptions for public transport, we do not expect people to wear a face covering where a person cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of any physical or mental illness, impairment or disability, or without severe distress.

I know PP said that different NHS trusts can set their own rules but they all seem so incredibly different I'm wondering what official guidance they are based on. I'm also beginning to suspect that there is no actual legislation on hospitals and health care settings and that this is all advisory.

What is not in any doubt is that hospitals and healthcare settings are bound by the Equality Act and NHS settings (as well as private settings that are doing NHS work) are additionally bound by the Public Sector Equality Duty. This means they must have 'due regard' to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people with a protected characteristic and those who don't share it. In practice this generally means things like doing an equality impact assessment before they bring in new policies. In order to meet the duty they have to actively consider whether they need to treat different people differently and there is a specific focus on meeting the different needs of disabled people.

I'd be asking to see their equality impact assessment or other documented evidence that they have met the PSED.

Update, and I'll do so as things progress.

I've received a response from the MIU.

I will make contact with the senior manager of the Centre to request a meeting for you

Good! Don't give up.

@Maskwoes

Update, and I'll do so as things progress.

I've received a response from the MIU.

I will make contact with the senior manager of the Centre to request a meeting for you

Well done OP!

Excellent, hopefully the planned meeting means that they are taking this seriously.

Can't add anything new to the positive comments youve already had. It simply isn't good enough.

Can I ask a question, do you think they would have acted the same if you were a women?

Can I ask a question, do you think they would have acted the same if you were a women?

Hello! Just a quick update to say I'm not letting this whole shitshow fade away. I've not heard anything back re: a meeting, I'm planning to give them until the end of next week and then will follow-up with an email.

The question above is an interesting one and not something I've given thought to. At this time it's not the proverbial can of worms I'm going to open.

It definitely seems sexist to me, after discovering you was male I too thought the same with them dismissing male rape, which unfortunately is a huge issue and still a social taboo, often going unreported Hope all goes well and you get a good response. Stay safe

I'm glad you're pursuing it. Of course they should ask you to wear a mask, but to interrogate you publicly on the matter is unacceptable as is the number of times you were expected to recount.

I hope they learn from this.

I had similar happen as a teen and have aspergers and chronic asthma and its crazy the amount of awful insensitive ar*e holes are out there, it's like do they not understand ptsd is worsened through claustrophobia in these situations, I'm going to my doctors this week to arrange a note to take with me or some kind of pass so I don't end up in a crappy situation like this x

I would complain too. My son with ASD was issued a hospital passport from camhs. I would expect to write more than ASD on it. Not the symptoms or reasons why. PTSD from assault said once, in a side room to one person once would have been all that was needed here.

It was totally unnecessary. Who would make up a condition to avoid a mask in a medical setting really? Because that their actions seem to imply.

I have been asked to write an article about my experience that will be edited during two-way conversation until we're both happy and then published. The journalist has some clout too. This is an avenue I am definitely going to utilise, it's a very powerful tool.

Nothing from the hospital regarding my request for a meeting yet, mind...

@babydisney

it's like do they not understand ptsd is worsened through claustrophobia in these situation

The most frustrating, sad, pathetic comment I've ever received after I disclosed- funnily enough in an A&E setting, to a doctor - was "So you haven't actually been to war then?". My reply was along the lines of my childhood was being trapped in a house with frequent, incessant, yelling, screaming and swearing, things being thrown, being called horrific names and left notes every morning for when I got up for school telling me what a shit son I was. So yes, from the age of about 7 through my teens it felt like an environment that I couldn't escape, so yes, pretty much like a war zone. He exited without a word and another doctor took over my care.

Oh, and you can fucking swear if you wish to on the forum, just don't swear to accentuate a personal attack on someone (MNHQ take a very dim view on personal attack, swearing or no swearing, regardless).

Glad you're making progress OP. The media is a very powerful tool and hopeful it'll help you get justice❤️

Well done @Maskwoes

Have had a senior member of staff contact me and we're formulating the best path to take. Will update with new news.

I've received an email from the Senior Nurse Consultant and, frankly, it smacks of disingenuousness at best and victim blaming at worst. I'm now escalating to Trust level and am seriously considering legal action if the stance remains the same. Simply not good enough.

I’m not sure of the correct process to complain but I would be tempted to go above the Trust head and either go to the relevant CCG or the CQC

Complain. Im so sorry this happened to you, truly awful.

I think the OP sounds like a reasonable respectful person who has, despite everything they have endured, retained enough self-respect to see when they have been treated like crap

This.
I’m sorry this happened to you OP. I hope you get the outcome you want & deserve

Hospitals have access to your gp notes so my guess is they didn’t see any reference to your disabilities on their screen. I’m assuming you are under gp care for your PTSD? It must be hugely difficult for hospitals to enforce the mask rules at the moment, as so many people are simply just refusing to wear them, so staff will have to interrogate everyone refusing. And rightly so.