Upset at way granddaughter in mental health unit was treated

Louisa1533, thanks for the heads up which I accept.

Bluebell is right. I don't think people understand the risks in an inpatient unit for young people. They use anything to self harm, their hair, a thread picked off a blanket, the wall, a splinter and any excuse to be left for seconds. DD works in CAMHS and is trained in response to incidents (main job with under 12's). What she has seen and had to deal with is so distressing. The nurses were just trying to keep her safe Summerwalks. Be prepared for a long admission for your poor granddaughter. So sorry for your family.

Summerwalks60

Hi I do understand everyone’s point she run me in tears about this I think she just feels overwhelmed by it all which is understandable

Oh what a shame. Indignity on top of distress. It can happen to anybody , MH problems.

I m sure she does, but she must be very mentally unwell to need one to one constant cover so while she needs a cuddle and comfort from the family you must not blame the workers for doing their duty correctly

Hi I do understand everyone’s point she run me in tears about this I think she just feels overwhelmed by it all which is understandable

On a practical note, running a tap can help ‘go’.

BlueBelle

I think you are letting your upset for your granddaughter over run your sensible thoughts
If your Grandaughter needs to be watched 24/7 then the staff have done nothing wrong at all and are following the rules and even bending over backwards by offering to make it more comfortable for her by waiting outside the room that wasn’t what she wanted so then a female took over but she looked at her so that didn’t help but really the male showed empathy in the first place by trying his best to get her what she wants

You are letting your distress blame people that aren’t to blame for anything Summerwalk
I hope your Granddaughter gets well soon

What a terribly sad situation, however I agree with your comments and others completely

I think you are letting your upset for your granddaughter over run your sensible thoughts
If your Grandaughter needs to be watched 24/7 then the staff have done nothing wrong at all and are following the rules and even bending over backwards by offering to make it more comfortable for her by waiting outside the room that wasn’t what she wanted so then a female took over but she looked at her so that didn’t help but really the male showed empathy in the first place by trying his best to get her what she wants

You are letting your distress blame people that aren’t to blame for anything Summerwalk
I hope your Granddaughter gets well soon

Theexwife is correct. 1 to 1 supervision means just that, at all times. I expect the OP would have been the first to complain if her granddaughter had been allowed to go into the loo alone and had harmed herself.

The GD must have been very disturbed to warrant 24/7 direct supervision, that not usual, the male nurse was happy to wait outside the door why wasn’t the female.
Or maybe there is something we havn’t been told.

I am not sure what else could be done, if she is on 1-1 then should be watched at all times. I am surprised he was going to allow her to go into the toilet alone, there may have been items in the bathroom that could have been secreted and later used for self harming.

I know this must be upsetting for you, however your granddaughter needs to be kept safe while undergoing treatment.

Poor person, it sounds distressing and awful for her and her family.

Maybe ( sadly) this is how things are when there are staff shortages and low morale.

Exactly. I was surprised that the male nurse offered to stand outside.

Caleo

It sounds as if the staff did what they could , as they would have been told to observe her all the time.

Everybody will empathise about needing privacy to be able to 'go'. I suggest you or her parent have a word with the senior nurse about the toileting problem .
Ask the senior nurse if the nurse could turn his or her back while she is on the toilet and reassure her she can take as long as she likes. Perhaps there is space for the nurse to sit down Maybe your grand daughter would benefit from being offered enemas or laxatives so that her need to 'go' overcomes her natural need for privacy.

I could not 'go' in hospital because I felt a nurse or carer was going to knock on the door to ask if I was "finished".

Not sure you getting what it beens being in a MH unit...there will be a robust safety plan in place to keep both patients and staff safe .....no one turns their back on anyone in such units

It sounds as if the staff did what they could , as they would have been told to observe her all the time.

Everybody will empathise about needing privacy to be able to 'go'. I suggest you or her parent have a word with the senior nurse about the toileting problem .
Ask the senior nurse if the nurse could turn his or her back while she is on the toilet and reassure her she can take as long as she likes. Perhaps there is space for the nurse to sit down Maybe your grand daughter would benefit from being offered enemas or laxatives so that her need to 'go' overcomes her natural need for privacy.

I could not 'go' in hospital because I felt a nurse or carer was going to knock on the door to ask if I was "finished".

It sounds like the staff behaved appropriately.. at that time of night there would be very few staff on duty and handover has to be done properly for the safety of all the patients on the ward..

To be honest he did what was asked and got a female, he also suggested waiting OUTSIDE her room while she had her wee I don’t really see what else he could have done They really don’t have loads of spare staff to keep offering different people to attend
I understand her upset and can feel your disappointment but
I m not sure what else could have been offered I really can’t
I m sure she is ultra sensitive owing to being ill I hope she gets better soon and gets home with her family

Did the male nurse mean that the staff swap meeting was going on and a female nurse was not available to escort your granddaughter?
All in all a disappointing experience but at the mild end of the spectrum when it comes to mental health.
I hope your granddaughter begins to feel better soon. It’s so hard for families too.

How horrible and how bad that someone with mental health issues should have this added stress. I used to work with mental health patients and a couple of them told me they would pretend to get better and lie just to get out of hospital. Quite scary when you think about it.