2. Ms E complains about the Trust’s care between January 2019 and November 2020. She complains that:
• she did not have a regular psychologist or psychiatrist during this time and saw about nine different psychologists. She says she only saw a senior psychotherapist for 16 therapy sessions who was able to help her, and she did not see the same person regularly
• appointments were made then cancelled and not rearranged in good time. Other appointments were also made and cancelled without her knowing
• when she needed a referral for a sleep study for insomnia, on 25 November 2019 the wrong referral was made for sleep apnoea (when a person’s breathing stops and starts when they sleep). She says she did not have this and it meant she was not seen by the sleep clinic
• in June 2020 inappropriate and unhelpful CBTi (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia) and CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) referrals were made for sleep insomnia and for her bereavement counselling
• she was not given a diagnosis for what was causing her insomnia but was given sleep medications and the dosages were changed often
• she was not able to discuss her current problems with consultant psychiatrists and most of the time was spent going over past problems and her background, so there was no time to talk about what she was experiencing at that time
• she was not given therapeutic support for her bereavement
• the Trust did not refer her for grief therapy or counselling.
3. Ms E says this has affected her mental health caused her to take an overdose three times. She says her care was affected by the different psychologists who had different views of her conditions and of the medication and dosages she should take.
4. She also says she was made to feel like she was not included in her treatment decisions and like she was abandoned and uncared for. She felt devastated, like her life was hell and like she was just existing and not living. She says her life has been destroyed and she goes through cycles of wanting to end it.
5. She also says she had side effects from medication like headaches, not sleeping but feeling tired, sickness and a dry mouth. She says she was also given a lot of medication even though she had issues with overdosing and she did not feel comfortable about this. She says she felt as though she was an inconvenience to the service, was left feeling like she wanted to take her own life and had flashbacks of her mum’s death and nightmares about this. She felt guilty as she could not help her.
6. She says the CBT and CBTi therapies she tried were harmful and increased her feelings of wanting to take her own life. She explains her GP agrees with this.
7. She explains she became distressed when clearing her mum’s flat and took an overdose.
8. Ms E wants an apology, changes to the service and a financial payment of at least £5,000.