Temporary Croydon hospital boss wants to keep job permanently despite no confidence vote

“@John_Croydon:


Oh yes, Mind will have a new Advocacy base at Bethlem soon. Another of my fiddlings.

The Advocates will be able to help with appeals against being locked up and also diagnosis queries. So if you're stuck on the ward and don't agree with the accusations made against you by the Psychiatrists there will be assistance to help you collect the data needed to prove your side of the story.

This should also help in catching the bad staff that can show up in the system as well.

Hope that reassures you :)”

“My own experiences of Mayday A&E recently have been fine. And the SLaM room apparently now has a target of 1 hour to see Mentally Ill/ Injured people waiting in A&E. Which is a great step forward.

Doctors were fine, security was a good crowd, etc etc. All tickedy-boo.

I do hope they fix this management situation soon, as a loss of direction can have a negative effect on Care as is stated in this article. Someone needs to steer the ship or she'll drift.”

“@John_Croydon:

And anyone else who is interested for that matter.

Hear Us regularly scrutinise the wards. They have described a pattern to me that's like a saw tooth. They criticise, things improve, then they slide back to naff again about 6 months later.

Bethlem is a training Hospital. Basically every 6 months a new batch of staff come in to work alongside the core teams.

This suggests to me that the core teams are the problem, not the trainees. The trainees learn, and then leave. The core team remains as unreliable as ever. Hence why the standards slide back to naff when the trainees move on. The core team seems to retain little of what Hear Us has told them.

Please note this is just my opinion on what is going on, based on what information I have received. Further scrutiny is needed, and you should approach Hear Us for the full story. They are the experts on this one.


It wouldn't be the first time patients have been neglected in the UK Mental Health service sadly. 'He's crazy, ignore him' is used all the time as an excuse for staff not to do any work. In the same way it's used by the less savoury members of the community to cover up for when they attack or rob the Mentally Ill.

Steve Davidson himself is investigating this issue after information was passed in by myself and Hear Us of Service Users traumatised by their experiences on the wards of Bethlem. We will get these bad staff and stop them I assure you. And SLaM higher management are very much onside I assure you.

Also a new Triage Ward has been opened to separate the Agro from the Anxious and keep the drunks off the 'long stay' wards. I haven't seen it yet, but Hear Us say it is lovely and very modern. It even has en-suite showers to help with privacy. I have also recommended the use of facilities like Ashburton Road & Foxley Lane more to keep the more fragile in a much comfier environment. Locking someone up must be a last resort, not 'the norm', or people will simply remain injured ( being sectioned is often a traumatising experience ).

The big problem is that you have to get proof to force change and stop bad staff. SLaM fully accept that things need fixing. And are happy to work with the evidence to get rid of bad staff and fix bad services. Zoe Reed has confirmed that SLaM has moved beyond the 'jobs for life' culture of the past and now will sack bad staff if need be. Like how proper firms do it. The GMC is also getting better at disciplining bad doctors, and Clare Gerada liked my info on getting GP's to spend time training on the wards ( to help there ). Clare Gerada then brought in the GP 4-year training thing about 4-5 months ago.

It's getting the proof that is the problem. The trainees seem ok, it's the core staff as I said. The wards do not have camera's, so it usually bubbles down to your word vs that of the staff member. Which is a stalemate and means nothing can go further in a legal sense. I am not satisfied with this, and a growing number of others aren't either.

You'll also find Croydon is a low paying area. If you are based at The Bethlem your wages are lower than if you are based up at The Maudsley. This makes it harder to retain quality staff in Croydon. A problem recognised by many of us. We hate losing good staff to better paying areas. And it keeps happening.



For those who don't know I am the Chairman of the Croydon Mental Health Forum, Acute Care rep for The Forum, friends with Hear Us, and I get along rather well with the Commissioners and CCG as well. I am also an Advisor on the executive for South London & Maudsley in the field of Psychosis.

I also help with the Spartacus Report project and advise Croydon Labour on the big Mental Health issues.

See, Schizophrenics do have their uses ;)”

“I've been a patient at the Mayday for physical health needs, and the Bethlem for mental health needs. The Mayday might have its problems but, on the whole, I felt safe and cared for whilst there. The Bethlem, on the other hand, felt unsafe and unhealthy. I experienced chaos, aggression, filth and a total lack of care there - even SLaM professionals have often said to me that it's not a place for anyone hoping for recovery.

Yet, whilst there is an endless outpouring of comments and demands regarding the Mayday, nothing ever gets said about the Bethlem. Why is that?”

“"To block the vice-chair becoming acting chair is just irresponsible when it comes to patient care."

So, how EXACTLY is patient care compromised by having a vice-chair rather than an acting chair?

Anyone?

Thought not!”