A 'professionals' meeting about me tomorrow

[Hatstrategicallydipped]

So, I've been having pretty much a nervous breakdown over the past 2 weeks. Tomorrow, ever service I'm involved with are having a meeting about me, without me.

AIBU to think that I should be included?

AIBU to think that it's literally going to be a meeting to shunt me from pillar to post and that nothing will be in my best interests?

AIBU to ask whether anyone has been to such a meeting and can tell me what goes on?

It totally depends what it’s about?

@FelicityBob

It totally depends what it’s about?

My mental health more or less.

Professionals meetings are completely normal and happen all the time-they are valuable opportunities to bring clinicians together and talk through case management/diagnosis/care planning etc

Usually a meeting would follow afterwards that involves the patient though this wouldn't necessarily happen immediately afterwards

Do you have a care co-ordinator?

If you're in hospital for mental health reasons, staff must refer you to independent advocacy, who must help represent your interests, at the meeting, if you want it.
Or is this child care/child protection related Hat?? Let me/us know if you can. Ok?

Best practice would be that this should only take place with your consent. Some people find meetings really stressful, or have a reason they can't follow meetings with lots of different ideas and too-ing and fro-ing so prefer the professionals to discuss pros and cons then just meet with one person after. So they aren't a bad thing but if you would rather be invited, have a chat with whoever is calling the meeting to see if there is any reason you aren't invited.

If you want to be there then you should ask to be there at least for part of it and manage someone with you who can advocate for you.

Without more details though its hard to give more advice than that.

take not manage

If you can see it from a 'physical health' perspective, patients with physical conditions get discussed at multi-disciplinary team meetings routinely, then the lead professional tells them what was discussed and what conclusions they came to. For example, cancer patients might be discussed by surgeons, radiographers, and oncologists. A patient with auto-immune conditions might be discussed by rheumatology, dermatology, gastroenterology, etc.

This is just an opportunity for different professionals to collaborate and come up with some ideas about how to best get you the help you need. Then, they'll talk to you about those ideas and ask you what you think.

Its impossible to know from the details you've posted. In my experience (social care) a multi agency professionals meeting that happens without the person (assuming it's not an urgent meeting eg urgent safeguarding) is so that professionals can discuss things that may be inappropriate or irrelevant for you to hear. By that I mean things like budget/service constraints or if theres differences of opinion between the professionals. Once we've got a clearer idea of potential plans for support/realistic options we'd then have a meeting with the individual.
Other factors could be if we need to share/compare information with another agency and it would be unhelpful for the individual involved to hear that, esp if it was something traumatic

Those are examples to show its not necessarily a bad thing, but you do have the right to know why a meeting is being held about you. Do you have a CPN or support worker you can ask?

I've attended various multi disciplinary meetings in my time and they usually are about ensuring everyone communicates and comes up to with a joint plan to treat you. It's not about shunting you backwards and forwards more that a complex illness like mental health can be needs multiple treatments and departments working together to get you well.

There's a link here briefly describing an MDT and their roles.
www.irishpsychiatry.ie/external-affairs-policy/public-information/what-is-a-multidisciplinary-team/

I had a nervous breakdown last year, my psychologist, GP and psychiatrist communicated without me to come up with the treatment plan. Then the options were presented to me by the GP. I'm not in the UK though.

It's a very normal thing
If various agencies are involved they need to co-ordinate precisely to avoid shunting from pillar to post happening.
It's not to exclude you it's so that people can talk in professional speak shorthand with baseline assumptions that everyone understands and get it done quickly.
Also often done to avoid having professional disagreements in front of the client.

Usually one person eg your care co would then feed back the outcome.
You don't have to consent to all or any of the plan and nothing can happen without your consent.

You have the right to consent to who is involved in your care but having thus consented you can't really ban them from talking to one another without you there.
If there is someone you don't want involved then you should say so.

You could always ask to have the minutes and if they don't want to provide them you can make a subject access request for your notes. Nothing is a secret.

It's nothing shady, they need to speak without you there to share information and make plans for you. It's the best way to do things for them and you and they will share what they discussed with you.

There's nothing to worry about, this is in your best interest and it's great when professionals work together like this. Hope you're okay OP, and that this helps you!

It's really normal - and it's really normal to not get invited to the first one as often the professionals don't actually agree.

I've had a few with GP, CCG, safeguarding social workers, child protection (not for my children), psychiatrist, therapist and police. I always get invited to the follow up but to be honest I just preferred the options presented to me.

I can guarantee there were huge arguments in my initial meetings even though I wasn't there - the thought process was not aligned and a way forwards had to be debated and discussed and I am now really glad I didn't have to hear that.

I now have no involvement with police, social services, CCG or child protection and if there's decisions being made it is usually me that presents the options that would best work for me to the GP, Psychiatrist and Therapist. I then get to hear their thoughts, but ultimately I decide (as long as I have capacity which I have for a while now).

So it won't be like this forever, just so you know.

It’s pretty common for multi-disciplinary team meetings to occur in all areas of health, so that treatment options can be weighed up and discussed before a plan is agreed upon and offered to the patient.

Does this involve children and social workers

Quite normal in social work op if that’s what this is referring to. They just want to work out what everyone is doing and come to agreement on the best ways of working with you going forward, it’s not a talking behind your back kind of thing, just making sure everybody involved is on the same page and has all the info.

I understand your concern. I have attended professionals’ meetings professionally, but hen one was proposed about my son’s mental health issues, well ... the only way I can think of to describe my response is ‘I went apeshit.’ I really found not being included in this important meeting about the most important person in my life almost intolerable. However, that level of emotional reaction conclusively proves why it was easier for the more clinical (objective discussions to happen without me.

It is normal for them to have meetings to discuss your care without you being there, they will discuss everything with you once a decision has been made. It does often feel like you are being passed from pillar to post and I know that can be so frustrating, but they will work together to decide the best course of action.

I think you should be there for at least part of it. Do you have an advocate?

Slightly different area, but in relation to safeguard children, best practice for professionals meetings is to inform the family that they are happening, and to provide minutes of the meeting if requested to the family.

They need to work together to weigh up the most effective strategies with your preferences in mind. The.NHS service is meant to be person centred and so do voice your thoughts

Do you have capacity?

At the Community Mental Health Team my relative attends they have weekly Multi-disclipine meetings where each patient is discussed. No big deal.