To be really annoyed with the NHS MH services?

[RisenWhine]

I waited 7 months for NHS therapy to help my out of control general and health anxiety and depression.

I have two children one nursery age and one school age, so need childcare during holidays to attend my therapy.

Anyway, I was really poorly for a couple of weeks a few months ago so had to cancel two sessions of therapy. I got a letter asking if I wanted to stay with the service as after two consecutive cancellations I’ll be discharged. I opted back in and was really careful from then to try not to miss any more appointments.

A couple of weeks ago during half term my babysitter came down poorly and couldn’t have the kids. I don’t have anyone else to have them, my mum works full time, as does my sister and husband. So I called and explained that I couldn’t get any children and needed to rearrange. - they said my therapist would send me a new appointment.. but instead I got a discharge letter.

I emailed her back asking why I’ve been discharged and I still wanted the service and just couldn’t get childcare that day, and this was the first appointment I cancelled in months and I was of the understanding that I would be discharged after two consecutive cancellations.
she emailed back to say no, you get discharged if you cancel more than two appointments in your overall therapy period. this seems insane to me, it’s not like I just didn’t turn up and was a knob about it.

but I really need therapy. It’s been two weeks now and I’m already on the verge of tears worrying about myself. I know that once they discharge you that’s it, if you want to start again it’s back to bottom of the list. I can’t wait 7 months again. I just can’t do it and I can’t afford private therapy so I’m in such a state now about how to move forward.

Do I complain that it’s unclear? There is nowhere that says about cancelling appointments within your entire therapy period. It says in black and white about “more than two consecutive” so that’s one after the other isn’t it?

You need to make a complaint to PALs and point out that the policy unfairly discriminates against workers men who are more likely to have caring responsibilities. You should also ask how this policy meets NHS MH targets to ensure services are trauma informed. I’m so sorry this happened.

I would be careful about complaining it's unclear. That suggests that, if you'd have known it would be cancelled, you'd have gone to the appointment. Whether that's true is irrelevant - it still suggests that you chose not to go rather than that you genuinely couldn't go. I think your complaint needs to be focused on it being an unfair policy rather than an unclear one.

No but if I was at risk of losing my therapy all together I could have looked into paid clubs.. I would have found something, hell I would have even taken the kids and protested that unless they aren’t going to discharge me for rearranging then I don’t have a choice. Of course there would have been paid options, maybe a holiday club but I can’t really afford it.. but my MH is priority at the moment and I don’t expect to be completely booted off the list like that.

Complain OP that's rubbish of them

I’m sorry OP. I do think it’s really hard to access MH support for people who look after young children. I had NHS CBT last year and I just about managed to get an appointment at 5:30pm when my husband could look after the children. No other evening or weekend options available. If that hadn’t happened I don’t know how I would have managed as I don’t have anybody who could have looked after the younger one during the day.

I remember my therapist explaining about the ‘2 cancellations and you get discharged’ policy and I understand that they are trying to stop therapy hours going to waste but it is very hard when you have young DC.

I would ring up the therapy provider and explain the situation and see if they can do anything.