Kingstanding CMHT

CMHT Appointments are very few and far between, supposed to be every 4 months if you refer to your care plan they are more like 7-12 months apart. Sit and chat to a psychiatrist for 20-30 mins and then nothing. I had CBT 10+ years ago and this was not effective. I was discharged from the mental health service by a CPN 6 years ago as they told me that with my new diagnosis of Autism they did not treat people with learning disabilities, which I have never been advised applies to me? It then took another 18 months for me to get back into the mental health system with huge help from my GP who also had to counsel me weekly, as I do have mental health conditions in addition to Autism. I had to quote the NICE regulations for Autism to my psychiatrist to get any further treatment and was later referred to MIND the charity for psychosocial intervention, then nothing has happened since COVID19, except for telephone consultations. It took years for the psychiatrist to act on other issues raised by my private Autism assessment and diagnosis which referred to a possible personality disorder. However, after stressing this failure, I was eventually sent for a psychological assessment to determine a diagnosis of a personality disorder via Callum Lodge. After-care and ongoing support is basic and most is being carried out by charities. The CMHT Crisis team is hit and miss. One individual has been brill but others I have spoken to in the team have exacerbated my emotional state at the time due to their lack of understanding and training. There is a serious misunderstanding or lack of understanding of autism as a whole by NHS staff. It's a one size fits all situation that is seriously underfunded and directly affects service users. I have currently been waiting on a CMHT cancellation appointment for nearly 6 months to date.

I've been a service user for several years and have been seen at Venture House (CMHT) for the past year. The staff listen to me and take me seriously. I had been waiting for years to get the appropriate help and this service is brilliant. I feel safe and have made some really good friends