More Paradoxology At Birmingham And Solihull Mental Health Trust

Ahhhh the stories we come across in Birmingham And Solihull Mental Health Trust practices and we have realised time and time again the mental health services were the advisors to Joseph Heller.....

Probably Machiavelli too .....

Here's a true story about a Service User that goes to the services to ask for some psychological therapy .

They've been abused in their earlier lives. Post trauma is a heavy feature of their perceptual life in the world. Even the sky feels like electric punishment sometimes to them . Their life has been partly stabilised at least by purchasing some private therapy outside of the NHS because the supply of service in the NHS in their locality simply did not exist ...

In the "interview" it is suggested that the therapy they pay privately for is something they should stop now because it is reportedly said it is not ethically right to see two therapists i.e one on the State and the other privately. The Service User promptly explains that they can work effectively with more than one therapist and that is not unknown at all (in group practices) ......

The issue of "Trusting the Patient" is even mentioned at this juncture..... Ahhh yes, that uncomfortable agenda that mental health services have a great deal of problems with because State institutionalised system delivery approaches are still culturally dominant in the UK and not subject to the quality driver of real "Choice" enhanced as it could be by the competitive market and other supply sides...Its not popular to frighten the patient with this scenario nor the staff but State supermarket UK-NHS has to alter and stop depressing patient need ...(mainly with voids and pills) .

Third sectorisation of supply may mean an additional element of supply too .. although patient-beware because some staff are morphing towards that arena knowing the New Labour Govt want a cheap supply of Mental Health services and not necessaily a deep change in the institutional culture of who knows best for the recovering or partly managing patient ...

NHS blunderment or private sector shunderment never ceases to amazes us - Or is that even guzunderment in old UK chamberpot vernacular ..? Because the issue of the State interfering with the patient's right to purchase and have State help to make up a management programme are paradoxical points worth pissing on with contempt and also debating - you know , debating on the razors edge of the patient's soul ..... In the complexity of this case that we know about we have someone who had to adapt to a lack of services over time by paying for some and the amazing later assumption that the NHS can even control what services it gives if the patient elects for some survival methods outside of the NHS that they have never even been offered previously by the NHS... Sorry we are repeatedly paradoxing ourselves ....Its a disorientation thing you know ..

UserWatch nearly wrote again "WE ARE AMAZED" ..... But we feel rather "WE ARE ACRAZED" or would be in that patient's position ....Anyone would be ..



Take a look at an extract John Reid's speech of 16th July 2003 taken from the Dept Of Health site . The wrappers on patient-sweeties were so glossy ..

Speech by Rt Hon John Reid MP, Secretary of State for Health, 16 July 2003: Choice Speech to the New Health Network

This work will look at all aspects of the patient experience. Fast access, certainly. But also good information about your illness. Real choice of when and where and how you are treated. Attentive staff. A clean, comfortable, friendly place to be. Safe, high-quality, co-ordinated care. And all done in a way that makes people say: 'they treated me as if I mattered', and 'they took time out to explain what was wrong'. This is what staff want to provide, this is what patients want from their NHS.

And in the coming months I want patients, patient organisations, and NHS staff to contribute to a debate on how we take the next steps forward. 'Trust me, I'm a patient' should be a guiding principle of this new agenda.