Ardenleigh

My daughter was referred to this place and came away re-traumatised. Some of the staff have huge ego's and believe their training gives them the right to know more about a condition than the person living with the condition. My daughter is now doing much better since my husband and I paid for my daughter to be supported by a private provider. I've also looked into the trauma-informed training provided by the NHS and it is woefully inadequate, with staff more interested in their own careers and their 'look at me' mentality. My daughter's so-called art therapist was downright sadistic and over-bearing. This place needs shutting down.

It felt like a prison. I don't want to go back to places like that. I want to keep fit and well.

Whole experience left me worse off. All three psychiatrists are sadists. No talk down used - simply physical force and forced injections as first resorts when 100% unnecessary. I was punished for feeling low or feeling sad and felt throughout my time there that I was emotionally neglected and physically violated. I relapsed several years after leaving which I am certain is down to how vulnerable my time at Ardenleigh left me (utterly lacking in self belief and hope) and I am now at the most fantastic hospital which has only served to highlight further to myself and my family what a vile, sadistic and devoid-of-soul place Ardenleigh is. The OT team lack skills, interests, motivation, and empathy. Totally useless. Ardenleigh should have been shut down years ago. Avoid at ALL costs!

Improve - communication at times
Visiting positive experience
Ensure my daughter gets out everyday to complete 12 week plan to going out on her own

i spent 15 months at ardenleigh hospital and geniunely can't say i made much improvement there. when i first arrived, i was put straight into seclusion just because i was unsettled coming into the building.
i was there through 2 lockdowns where it was difficult to see family but the staff did manage to set up video calls which was good. there were some staff who helped me and i felt i could talk to but overall i seemed to leave ardenleigh in a worse-off situation than i arrived. i've now been transferred to a different low secure where i am doing much better which makes me question the care i recieved at ardenleigh, as you would think the same care would be provided, however there is a massive difference. the staff need better training in dealing with patients with eating disorders as the comments made to me were at times awful and caused me distress. overall my time in this hospital was not a positive experience and while i do thank some staff for helping me, i would not reccomend this hospital if you have a choice.

i am so glad to have left ardenleigh. it was the worst hospital i have been in and it didn't help me at all. especially the staff have no experience with dealing with eating disorders and so many triggering comments were made.

I don’t like it here. The food is nice. The nurses are nice. What could be improved is the level & understanding the staff has.

Best place for mental health i was 18 at the time

My child has been in Ardenleigh since January 2019 and since then there has been zero improvement in their mental health. My child never self harmed at home but since being in Ardenleigh self harm has escalated and management should be asking why this is so. Children have been denied access to a phone to call Child Line; Samaritans and CQC. The visiting rooms are filthy showing evidence that they are not cleaned i.e jugs of juice left in the rooms for weeks at a time, coins on the floor. High reliance on agency staff and English is not their first language so therefore no therapeutic engagement. The MDT are the most arrogant people one could have the misfortune to come across. Family therapist left after approx 8 weeks and has not been replaced, a part time social Worker, part time Dr Psychiatrist. Before my child went to Ardenligh I was told there were family DBT sessions every Thursday night, there has not been one, in effect I was lied to. When children are incarcerated in a hospital and make no progress, are there for years very serious questions should be asked. I would urge anyone being offered a bed at Ardenleigh to turn it down, my child says she has made zero progress being at Ardenleigh, it has been detrimental to her health and she would have much preferred to have been sent to wales (she was offered a bed in Wales as well as Ardeneleigh). I note a previous comment left on this site by another user of Ardenleigh has been left with no response from Ardenleigh this just about sums them up. I have had to click on one star ratings in order for my feedback to be submitted, in reality I would prefer to have left zero stars.

Difficult to visit relative because there are only 2 rooms available for the whole site and families are forced to book well in advance. Our bags are searched in a public area, everything is taken out & everyone can see what you have. No privacy at all.