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Old Aug 20, 2011, 03:24 PM
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yellowted yellowted is offline
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Member Since: Nov 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 2,004
sorry to say but NHS therapy is so over needed and under staffed that it will probably take around 18 months to get an assessement, then three months to be offered sessions and then you will probably get one hour per week for 6 weeks and only if you really need more may you be put back on the waiting list for another 6 sessions!
hope is on the horizon in some areas as the local councils/PCT are trying to see how they can improve the service... not much use at the moment though.
my advice is look into getting an IMCA advocate, POHWER is a great service, free and very well worth looking into, i had major difficulties trying to get Adult services to apply for a DFG to adapt my home among other things, after comlplaining to the head of my CMHT, head of adult servoices, the local council corperate complaints manager and my local MP i got myself a POHWER advocate, and within a month Adult services have agreed to support an aplication, they have yet to appy but hey it is a big victory just getting them to agree to support it after 3 years of bumping upstairs on my bum to get to a toilet!
the condition i have may have got better if i had received the correct treatment (physio and talking therapy running paralell) at the onset, but typical NHS i got physio ok but the talking therapy came far too late and was not long enough to make a difference, so my physio stopped too! two years on they still are messing me around!
POHWER are based in a number of locations in the UK, they have offices in Southwark for sure and the advocates are willing to travel quite a distance.their main number is not in london, but they will be able to point you in the right direction.. if you want the number PM me and i will get it to you.
Other places for advice/help in resolving your difficulties with the NHS are :-
your local PALS (patient advice leason service) ask at your GPs for the number or get it from local hosiptal,
CAB (citizens advice beuro)
your borough should have a mental health advocacy service, phone the council to find out, though if they are like the one in my borough you are better off without them!!!
try sending your complaint to your local councils 'corprate complaints manager' as talking therapies are funded by the council PCT (primary care trust) rather than the NHS.
good luck both of you x
Thanks for this!
Shadow-world