Rights To Choice In Mental Health Treatment - NHS England

[MyNameIsTerry]

Here is some useful information from NHS England which is aimed at residents of England only. I haven't checked to see if NHS Scotland has produced similiar guidance but it looks like Wales is not included.

This initiative went live in December 2014 so some of you may have already seen it but if not I recommend you read it to ensure you are aware of your rights to treatment.

I can see there being some issues with this type of policy, namely the lack of available providers to even choose from unless you are in a major city.

Its a shame that the NHS haven't made it into the 21st century yet in terms of technology since many therapists use Skype formats thesedays.

http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/choice-mhc-14.pdf

Under this policy you have the right to agree on the provider to supply your treatment as long as your first assessment takes places after the date of this initiative being introduced. The decision on the type of treatment still sits with the medical professionals. There are further exceptions so please read them.

According to this document, this is to be transparent with physical health issues. I can't say I have ever heard of the patients ability to choose a provider for physical health issues.


:read::yesyes::yesyes::yesyes::yahoo:

[Greenman50]

Blimey :ohmy: !

[pulisa]

I wonder if anyone has actually read this tome? Or knows of its existence?

So many words but do they actually mean anything when it comes to the crunch and a patient needs urgent, tailored care appropriate to their presenting needs? I doubt it.

Sorry to be cynical. I think "self choice" depends on the relevant CCG's discretion(and budget)

[Greenman50]

sadly my thoughts as well hope i,m wrong :weep:

[MyNameIsTerry]

I agree. I only came across it when looking for something in OCD UK so thought it worth posting since I've not seen it mentioned on here.

GP's have a strangle hold on mental services and can be "treatment blockers". The charity I used to go to sometimes referred to GP's as the gateway.

They will just keep this policy under their hats so most people never know about it.

Did you notice it mentioned grants for specialist services, pulisa? It doesn't really say anything though so I would imagine you have a fair fight on your hands getting it for your daughter.

[pulisa]

It's in the hands of the local CCG, Terry. The panel meets every 3 months so it's going to be a long wait I fear.

[pulisa]

Now that the local CCG have said that they no longer deal with mental health tertiary referrals (wouldn't have known this if I hadn't rung to chase them up re decision) the referral has gone to Surrey and Borders partnership. I rang them yesterday and they were not really able to help so then I rang the Maudsley and they said that the referral would need to go to the Surrey out-of-area-panel blah blah blah


Is it any wonder that people despair over this mishmash of fancy services which actually offer a big fat zero? I'm going to get my daughter the specialised treatment she needs by whatever means and I'm not going to be pushed into fancy private treatment just to avoid the below average local special needs provision..

---------- Post added at 13:06 ---------- Previous post was at 11:28 ----------

Well at least I have now got the referral sent to the right people and the next Panel meeting is on 2nd November. Fingers crossed!

[bernie1977]

Fingers crossed for you Pulisa and well done for fighting for your daughters needs xx

[pulisa]

Thank you, Bernie. At least she is in with a chance and we have something to cling on to..if only until the results of the Panel x

[blue moon]

:hugs: For you pulisa x.
My husband has been trying to get our friends out of detention centre on Christmas Island,the children there are having mental health issues,they have been there for around 18 months behind barbed wire fencing bloody disgusting 2015 and we are still treating people this way,Shame on our Government.grr

[MyNameIsTerry]

What a nightmare. Most businesses prefer to make themselves "Lean" by flattening their management structures but the NHS, like anything public, seem to like inserting even more obstacles to get over. I can't say I ever saw much point in CCG's! Their communication is truly terrible, your GP surgery too.

This seems to be half the battle and it's very difficult with mental health issues as we haven't got the strength to take them on a lot of the time.

Vote Labour, vote Tory, it doesn't matter...the NHS has always been a mess from when I was young. They are very protective of themselves and it seems to take the threat of solicitors or the media to winkle an apology out of them and we all know how they love throwing "hush" money at people to settle out of court. Just like the council really but this is supposed to be "the caring profession"!

I hope you get it sorted, pulisa. If you have a local MP looking for something to do, perhaps he/she could win a few brownie points and give you a leg up along the way?

[ricardo]

I think the future of the NHS is very bleak. The debt is the highest in it's history so instead of a 7 day surgery from 8 to 8 as suggested or is going to be implemented by the P.M. we will see further cutbacks,fewer referals, less time to see a GP and as usual mental health issues go further down the rung of the ladder.
All these endless documents and proposals mean absolutely sod all. The NHS is stretched more than ever before and the main beneficiaries are the agencies that provide doctors and nurses at weekends and they get paid three or 4 times the going rate. It's complete madness.

Don't get seriously ill at the weekend and as many a GP has said unless it is a real emergency don't go to A & E either at weekends as usually you will be seen by a junior doctor,hardly ever a specialist.

[pulisa]

Thanks Terry. Unfortunately my local MP is Philip Hammond who I believe has bigger fish to fry....:D

[MyNameIsTerry]

Don't get seriously ill at the weekend and as many a GP has said unless it is a real emergency don't go to A & E either at weekends as usually you will be seen by a junior doctor,hardly ever a specialist.

To add onto this...

When my mum was taken ill with pneumonia a few months back my big brother was here and rang 111. He spent 20 minutes on the phone and then they said "oh, it sounds like a heart attack we will send an ambulance" :doh: 20 minutes! Good job it wasn't, which he new. The ambulance turned up and said they had not been told it was a heart attack but something else, I can't remember now. They did their thing, and a community support nurse came out and then she had to get the out of hours GP out! He came and said "don't ever call 111, only ever call 999 as 111 are a waste of time". So, it doesn't sound like they are impressed with them.

---------- Post added at 10:01 ---------- Previous post was at 09:54 ----------


Thanks Terry. Unfortunately my local MP is Philip Hammond who I believe has bigger fish to fry....:D

It would be better use of his time helping one of his constituents than moaning about the Saudi deal. :winks:

[MyNameIsTerry]

Updating this as I noticed NHS Choices have a more user friendly version for people who need to understand it quicker:

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/mental-health-services-explained/Pages/accessing%20services.aspx

The rest needs reading but this is the key point of interest to us:

You have the legal right to choose which provider and clinical team you're referred to by your GP for your outpatient appointments. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) provide mental health services for their communities. You have the right to choose any mental health service provider in England as long as they provide a similar clinically appropriate service to the one your local CCG provides.

[pulisa]

Thanks for this, Terry. I'm driving for 45 mins to take my daughter to her first psychology session today in a different county. I know it will be worth it to avoid the dire local service.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thanks for this, Terry. I'm driving for 45 mins to take my daughter to her first psychology session today in a different county. I know it will be worth it to avoid the dire local service.

How did it go, pulisa? I hope this service turns out to be what you are looking for. Do you think it will help her?

I don't think GP's are even telling people this policy, it wouldn't surprise me if it's a mixture of arrogance or unwillingness but I see little evidence of anyone posting about referral who has been told their rights. :doh:

[pulisa]

It went well, Terry and thanks for asking. The senior therapist was very much on the ball and the service looks a lot better than previous efforts. She mentioned a "Safe Therapy" website run by Dr Glenys Parry from Sheffield University. I think it would be very useful for some people on here who are trying to get decent therapy.

[MyNameIsTerry]

That's good news. You must have felt a bit wary after all the past failures with these services? Does she start from now then or was that just an assessment and there is some more waiting to do?

Yeah, if it helps some of us, why not? If there is a site you can post up I'm sure people will be interested.

[Elen]

Sounds like a positive appointment and well worth the drive I bet.

Your daughter is so lucky that you have the strength and determination to keep fighting.

[pulisa]

Thank you, Elen and Terry. She is now going ahead with the therapy and has 3 sessions booked for the time being. I know it's early days but my initial impression is that these people know what they are doing...which wasn't the case before.

[Carnation]

Just seen the update on your situation Pulisa.

It's great to hear some good news for your Daughter, it makes a change. :yesyes:

[pulisa]

Thanks, Carnation. I think there is reason for optimism on this one x

[pulisa]

My daughter will be having ACT therapy as it has finally been acknowledged that CBT will not help her severe and overwhelming anxiety. The psychologists here offer therapies to suit the individual and are not restricted to CBT packages. Treatment won't be time limited.

I really hope that this time she'll make progress. The psychologist also acknowledged that distraction and exercise would make little impact on her anxiety at this stage. I think it was important for her to say this as my daughter has got very frustrated as she tries everything that's meant to help and this has only served to fuel more adrenaline.

Today will be better (especially if Palace win the Cup this afternoon!:D)

[Elen]

Great that they are trying a different approach and even better that it is not time limited.

I always feel time restrictions can place a lot of pressure on the client, especially if they feel that they are not managing to adhere to the time table.

I hope that this affirmation has given your daughter some relief. It must be so frustrating for her to try and do what she has been told only to get no relief from her actions.

Again Pulisa, I am in awe of you, fighting so hard for this despite dealing with your own problems.

I only wish I had someone like you fighting in my corner for me.

I am not a footie fan but will give a cheer if Palace wins.

Enjoy the match, you deserve it.

[pulisa]

Thank you, Elen, for your kind and supportive post. I'll admit it hasn't been easy to get this help but I just had to try as hard as I could to access the right type of support. Being in that "void" between special needs and mainstream has caused untold problems when trying to access specialised mental health support. We have to travel into the next county but that's nothing in the great scheme of things.

I actually have a Cup Final ticket for this afternoon but have given it to my husband. I'll have enough difficulty trying to watch bits of it on TV as adrenaline and I just don't get on and positive adrenaline feels like the negative stuff! Ah well. hope Palace get a miracle and win!

Thanks again, Elen. My very best wishes to you too as I know how tough your life is.

[MyNameIsTerry]

That's great, pulisa! :yesyes:

ACT is supposed to be good. I think they call it "3rd wave CBT" along with DBT. Basically a newer incarnation with a slant. There is book by someone called Russ that gets good reviews about it.

Since it's based on accepting yourself and your life to stop fighting it, perhaps it makes a bit more sense in your daughter's case as there is so much she can change due to the autism?

I hope it goes well. Well worth a trip over the border if it does.

[pulisa]

Just had the 3rd session. It's going to be tough, I think, but my job is to avoid reassurance and stick to facts. My daughter is very fragile but determined to try her best to learn from the ACT and take as much as she can on board. The therapist wants to see her weekly now-initially my daughter felt she could only cope seeing her fortnightly but there is such a lot to address.

[pulisa]

I think it's going to be very tough-going but it's early days

[Sunflower2]

Wishing you the best Pulisa, I hope you're managing ok x

[pulisa]

Thanks, Kimberley. It's my daughter's birthday on Sunday so this is always stressful as things have to go to plan...or else! She's physically unwell today so am hoping she will be forced to slow down-agitation plays a big part in her illness.

Thanks for your good wishes x