AIBU to ask to stay in London for treatment?

[Rebecca496]

Hi all,

I am currently at the A and E department in the Crisis Assessment Unit at a London hospital due to why mental health. I have been feeling a little overwhelmed over the last few days.

The plan is to keep me here over the weekend until a bed in an in-patient ward becomes available in my home county in the midlands, where I would be admitted as an informal (voluntary) patient.

I would be transferred back to my local NHS Trust by paramedics and accompanied for the journey from this London hospital back to the midlands in-patient hospital - possibly on Monday.

The doctor in charge here said that it is not possible to be admitted in London as my GP Surgery and Postcode is not from here, and there is certain politics about NHS Trusts and hospital admissions being expensive and things like that.

I am a little worried about being admitted in my local county, as worried that the treatment would not be good there and that I would be going back to the situation that I was getting away from.

Is there any way that I could be admitted in London to an in-patient mental health ward? Can I plead with the doctors to keep me here?

I was thinking of asking my MP to get in touch with Rishi Sunak to ask if he could allow me to be admitted here in London, as the facilities are better here and I feel safer in London.

Huw Edwards was recently admitted to an in-patient psychiatric hospital in London and I would feel safer being treated in an environment where Huw was treated.

Is there any way that I can be treated here in London, as I would feel safer here. I do not want to be transferred back to the midlands with paramedics, and would prefer to be treated in London as this is where Huw Edwards was treated.

The doctor did say that the wards would be louder here in London which may not be good for me (as I am a very quiet person) but I don't mind this as I would rather be treated in London.

I am being observed here at all times. There are more facilities here than there would be in my local hospital, such as shops that the nurse could accompany me to.

Please can you ask me how I can plea to ask to be treated in London? I DO NOT want to be transferred back to the midlands for an in-patient mental health bed, I would like to remain as a voluntary (informal) patient in London.

AIBU to ask to stay in London, and can a bed be found for me here and how can I get one? I do not fee safe returning to the midlands at the moment. I do not live in London normally though.

You could ask the reception staff.

They may recommend you don’t. But you are legally allowed to.

If you are informal then they have deemed you as having capacity to make decisions about your admission. I would suggest that you try and work with the staff who are trying to help you. I understand you are unwell but doing a runner from the midlands and catching a train will have been quite stressful for the staff assessing you there, and it would be better for you if you try now and see the London staff as wanting to make a helpful plan for you and engage properly with them. They will be worried about you leaving the department to get food but they cannot stop you.

I would happily leave my laptop, phone, passport and the rest of my belongings here in the ward so that they know I will come back.

I have just been eating so much over the last few months due to stress. Hopefully the MH treatment will help with this.

Do people you feel safe with know where you are?

They have rang my next of kin and all of that, yes.

So as an INFORMAL PATIENT, I am allowed to go to the place nearby to get some hot food from one of the restaurant there?

OK, that's good.

I would discuss this with someone on the staff first.

There is a nurse/member of staff from the Mental Health Team observing me at all times and is in this room with me. I am a bit nervous about asking him though. I really want some HOT FOOD .

I would ask him though. Or if he can get you any hot food on the round. He's there to look after you. Please trust him a little with this.

I will - I am just too nervous to ask him, perhaps due to my autism.

I have posted this on a Facebook Group Chat called "Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Chat ('Lilywhites')" that I am a member of. Hopefully I will get some good advice off of there about how to ask:

"Hi everyone, I am being treated as an INFORMAL patient at St. Thomas Hospital on the Crisis Assessment Unit. I am really craving some HOT FOOD and want to go to one of the fast food restaurants nearby. I have asked on MUmsnet and they have said that I am legally allowed to leave the hospital as I am not under Section or anything like that. There is a member of staff from the Mental Health Team observing me at all times in this room. Can you please suggest how I can ask him to be able to go on my own to the McDonalds/KFC etc. just over the road at Waterloo Station? I am very hungry and am craving some HOT FOOD but am too nervous to ask, perhaps due to my autism."

I am VERY HUNGRY and want some HOT FOOD as I have just eaten two bags of Mini Eggs at Lunchtime which has left a sugary taste in my mouth. I REALLY WANT some hot food.

They said that they don't know on the Tottenham Hotspur group.

Could you write a note and hand it to him? I think the Spurs fans will be busy with the Palace game, I'm Villa myself....

That's a good idea - I will handwrite it! I didn't think of that. Sometimes I just find it hard to find the right words verbally, but that is a good idea.

Something like 'would it be possible for me to go to McDonald's over the road to get some hot food, or am I likely to be given some here today please?'

Good luck.

Does anyone here know which antidepressants would be good to go on from Venlafaxine? I am currently on 375mg of Venlafaxine per day, but have struggled a bit more over the last six months or so. I was thinking perhaps something like a try-cyclic antidepressant or something a little stronger?

I have tried Sertraline, Citalopram and Fluoxetine before but none agreed with me.

I do not really understand the anti-depressants, so would appreciate some advice.

Also, I do not want one that leads to weight gain as I side effect as I have struggled with this before.

Nobody here will be able to answer this, OP. It will be something you discuss with the staff as part of your treatment plan. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself today. Try to relax and know that you are with people who want to help you and are there to take care of you. They will advise you on how they think they can help you get better.

I did have this in an NHS psychiatric hospital outside London

Really? Were you an informal patient? I am so hungry right now but too nervous to ask!

Do write the note for the staff member. I suggested some words.

The private psychiatric hospital I was in was £7k a week

I will write it now. What happens if they say no though? Am I legally allowed to leave as an informal patient? I PROMISE that I will return and will even leave all of my passport, the rest of my money, laptop and belongings here in the meantime. I would even be happy for a nurse to accompany me to the train station (that is where the hot food places are) if they insist on that. I am SO HUNGRY!

That is ridiculous? Just for a bed? It surely can't cost that much? Why? It would have been cheaper for you to have stayed in a Travelodge (or somewhere similar) and got the nurses to visit you there? It can't cost the NHS that much otherwise the system would collapse. Why do private places charge so much?