NHS and adult mental health services

[Howpo]

Elderly FiL has been accessed as needing to be sectioned (sect 3) no beds, not even in care homes or out of county.
He is being left on her own as there is only one person who can provide any care for him and this person is burnt out and has a FT job.

The Health team now ring him to prompt him to take medication & despite now providing funding, they cannot get a sitter to stay with him, either during the night or day, not even for an hour to make a meal.

He is is being left to his own devices, such is the state of the NHS.

Any ideas on who to complain too or what to do next?

CQC don't take complaints as they have no powers to investigate and we've already complained to the provider.... makes one wonder whether the the money spent on CQC would be better spent on the actually service?

Should i/him expect better?

Hello I think you may have some things muddled up. If your father in law is elderly he would be seen via mental health services for older people- not adult mental health if he is over 65. If he needed sectioning it would be via section 2 of the mental health act and he would have had an assessment with 2 doctors and a AMHP - and then a bed would have been found for him. It sounds like he is not sectionable, and may have refused to go in hospital or care informally. It sounds like either the crisis team or community mental health team are trying to support him in the community, by prompting him to take his medication which is the least restrictive option. I would try and contact the community mental health team to speak to his lead professional and find out the plan. Google should help you find the number in your area. It may have been recommended that he goes into a care home to meet his needs, this is usually arranged via social services not mental health team although sometimes health and social care are integrated teams. however if your father in law has been assessed to have capacity regarding this decision and refuses there is not a lot services can do. If you need to complain- it would be the patient advice and liaison service PALS not the CQC. Again google would help you find your local service. Hope this helps

Sadly this is v normal :( I used to work in a MH crisis team. We'd have people desperately needing a hospital bed, but 7 or 8 people ahead of them in the queue, so they'd have to wait days :( In hated having to say to people - "I think you need to be in hospital asap, but there is no bed" :( Most staff are trying their best to get patients the beds, but if they don't exist, there's not a lot they can do.

You could approach PALS, or try to find out who the medical director of the trust is - they generally hate complaints and might speed things up for you.

Horribly, a lot of MH teams have huge prejudice against relatives that are vocal and complain :(

Hope your FIL gets the care he needs soon 💐

Sadly, based on my current experience, I would say the MH services are more than stretched. My husband (we do not live together) was sectioned in March and spent a month in a psychiatric hospital a considerable way from where we lived, then he was transferred to a hospital closer to us.

He is now on a rehabilitation ward, again quite a distance from where we live. For several weeks he has essentially been on delayed discharge because he is waiting for extra care facilities in an area where we (his family) can provide informal support. He is autistic (which is a factor in his support) and has depression with psychosis. According to Mencap, there are currently over 2,000 people with learning disabilities and/or autism who are inpatients in ATUs and psychiatric hospitals, and many of them are there because there are insufficient resources or provision in the community for them to be discharged. My husband has become one of that number.

My youngest adult son has had several telephone consultations with different MH teams, and seems to be referred from one team to another. He has an anxiety disorder and an eating disorder which are out of control. In desperation, I have called the crisis team once or twice, but because he is not either actively suicidal or in the midst of a critical episode. BEAT say his needs are too complex for them to offer counselling at the moment, but they offered me support to support him!

Sorry, I am starting a bit of a rant.

Sorry, sent too soon Because he is not actively suicidal or in the midst of a critical episode, the Crisis Team cannot help.

IMO the best thing you can do is complain to PALS and your MP

@Thelnebriati Thankyou!

@stephglows Deffo not confused!!! its difficult to say too much without identifying... but i assure you its a sect 3, that assessment has been made but not signed off as they cannot section into the community... adult teams not elderly and in crisis, you would not want to be alone with him as someone nr to him found out.

The Dr we spoke too said that they simply do not have any beds, none, it doesn't matter what he needs, they have no bed.

I know the situation and his condition well, as its happened before, more than once but previously, with more beds been able to self sect but even if there was a place, he doesn't have the capacity to make that decision now, its been allowed to go on to long.

Because we have said we cannot and will not look after him, it seems to have bought matters to a head and we may have some good news on a mh hospital setting for him.

It’s far too common, there were no mental health beds in the country going into last bank holiday weekend. It’s awful and your doctor is right - complain as needed but if there is no beds then there are no beds. You are just waiting for someone else to be discharged which is often reliant on a functioning social care system.