North Wales CHC - Mental Health & Learning Disability Services
North Wales CHC has well publicised and longstanding concerns about mental health care in North Wales.
What we did
This report has been produced by North Wales Community Health Council (North Wales CHC)
North Wales CHC is the independent watchdog for NHS services in North Wales and we seek to encourage and enable members of the public to be actively involved in decisions affecting the design, development and delivery of healthcare for their families and local communities.
North Wales CHC works with the local NHS, as well as inspection and regulatory bodies, to provide the crucial link between those who plan and deliver the National Health Service in North Wales, those who inspect and regulate it, and those who use it.
North Wales CHC maintains a continuous dialogue with the public through a wide range of community networks, direct contact with patients, families and carers through our enquiries service, complaints advocacy service, visiting and wider engagement activities and through public and patient surveys.
North Wales CHC represents the “patient and public voice” within the geographical area covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB).
What we heard
“I used mental health services a lot during the pandemic, it’s been a nightmare. I haven’t had the best experience, and having to do everything over the phone when in a crisis. I asked for a call-back when in crisis, and received a call-back two weeks later. There was no point calling me back two weeks later, by then I had sorted myself out with support from friends”.
“Was treated at the Ablett Unit a few years ago. Did not have a good experience at all. The environment was cold and hostile and there was no privacy, it felt brutal”
Learnings from what we heard
At the start of each session participants were asked, to imagine they had a magic wand that would allow them to change “One Simple Thing” about mental health services in North Wales. At the end we asked them to tell us what it was. Many of the answers were about kindness, respect and empathy. Many, also, wanted better co-ordination between NHS & Social Services professionals.
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