Saturday, February 23, 2008

NHS Blow Services Away While Mental Health Users Get Wrexercised




UserWatch hears that South London And Maudsley Foundation Mental Health NHS Trust (SLAM) are offering 10k for people to come up with ideas for activities that can make Users happy so long as its not illegal and so on, and so bore-th.....

Now that is interesting because a User of SLAM that contacted Kakatoo (roving UserWatch toonster) claimed that a certain Gym in Lewisham London that is providing services for mental health Users paid for by the Primary Care Trust (associated with SLAM) created some problems for them . They apparently went there deeply depressed only to experience that their troubles were not welcome in an attitude of :

"We dont bring our problems here"

When the User protested about that, it caused them problems and later on via attempts to get matters resolved with the PCT on board, we understand SLAM got involved and made matters worse according to the User. To add insult to injury the Gym in Lewisham London the User claimed, identified them as a problem .

So lets repeat this and add it up then in good old NHS paradoxology.. The depressed User notified the need for some exercise and openly did so and went along to a NHS PCT purchased service. They get there and then their depressed attitude is not wanted : "We do not bring our problems here " (HUH?) . They complain to the NHS PCT and their NHS Trust SLAM (who have history of showing antagonism towards them they say ) puts a spike in the complaints process and renders it difficult to trust and use .

Later the same User reports they go back to the Gym in Lewisham London where the Gym still have an attitude that somehow the User is partly the problem .. Meanwhile while having denied mental health users their right to their "depressed reality" in the background is noted a really wonderful uplifting rappy song which advocated "sucking cock and smoking dope "

Ahhh ......We seeeeee.......Alternatives to recognising depression .....Cocksucking and puffery of some sort ...How helpful...


Here's the article by Bobby Dex of IC South London about SLAM's 10k initiative below :


Mental health trust to invest £10k in joy Feb 22 2008 By Robert Dex

NHS bosses are handing out thousands of pounds of cash to see if money really can buy happiness.

The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) is asking people to come up with a plan they think will make someone happy and then apply to them for the money to pay for it . The trust has £10,000 to share and will give it out in bundles from £50 to £500.

Head of mental health promotion Tony Coggins said the project was based on the ideas of positive psychology and there were four rules for any application.

He said: "The money cannot be spent on just yourself or on anything illegal.

"The idea must involve at least two people and the applicant must be a member of SLaM."

Suggested ideas include using the money to learn a new talent or get fit with a group of friends.

Tony said: "We are asking people what keeps them happy and well. "We want to get people thinking about mental health in the way they think about their physical health now."People know that exercising, eating five portions of fruit and veg a day, and not binge drinking are good for their physical health but they are less aware of mental health."We don't have an equivalent of five portions a day for mental health. Doing things like volunteering or doing a kindness for someone else increases your satisfaction, and things that reduce isolation are good for mental health as well. "

The estimated cost of mental ill-health across the UK is £77billion a year in things like days off and the cost of medication and this money is a relatively small amount in that context. Successful bidders will have to take pictures of whatever they do and have a 15-minute interview with someone at SLaM about the project.

To join SLaM go online at www.slam.nhs.uk/members or call 0800 019 6075.

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

amazing , ordinary service users arent welcome at SLAM because they are depressed but other users are being bribed to become members of the Trust and be happy?

i read elsewhere about the deafening dope smoking and cock sucking lyrics that staff were blasting out of the gym, apparently other staff members were bothered by the noise too

' we dont bring our problems here'

its cruel what these people can do to a captive vunerable audience

PatientGuard said...

That is a good point anon - the 10k is only targeted at "Members" (or corralling them)

I really think the moral position ought to be looked at on this as well as the potential discrimination if people don't want to become Foundation Trust Members

Anonymous said...

You say the person went to a gym... You go to a gym to exercise, you really shouldn't expect councelling there or even sensitivity to "problems". Just be realistic.

PatientGuard said...

Anon -

I don't think you have any understanding of mental health at all or you simply have not read the piece properly . The gym was at least partly a service gateway paid for by the London Lewisham NHS Primary Care Trust and offered MH Users a portion of the service too . The Disability Discrimination Act requires that those offering goods and services become conversant of all disabilities to equalise up the potential to use them - not to invalidate them ..For goodness sake have you ever heard of "caring for others" or do you just stand on your own two feet ...? One day sunbeam you'll need others to wash your arse and help you to die - it happens to everyone because disability gets everyone in the end.. However ona good natured point --UserWatch recommends you go on a sympathy hunt and tag the kind hearted self and spend some time with it .....

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Anonymous said...

dear anonymous,

you show the same discriminatory attitude and ignorance as the gym staff and Trust management.

the Ladywell gym in Lewisham is located in a mental health unit beside a suite of mental health wards. it is a mental health gym operated to serve mental health service users .

the gym is used by ward and community based patients, many of whom are referred to the gym for help with motivational problems.

you be realistic for a change, there is nothing unreasonable about expecting a publicly funded mental health gym to run in a disability aware , professional and non - discriminatory way.

McDonalds ensure their services are provided in that way so why cant an NHS mental health gym?

PatientGuard said...

Well there you go Anon - we assume Sean knows the area which our roving UserWatch Crowplane missed when dropping its wet awards in Lewisham one of which we hope with the aid of your open mouth now helps your digestion of the facts..

Come on laugh out anonymously - take it like a nest.....Wing it on ....

Made by Mandy said...

I don't think cock sucking lyrics are appropriate. Unless all those participating, at the gym, are Chavvy Gangsta Wannabes.

Is it an all male environment? And if so, during the females only sessions what is on the turntable?

Hows about "I burnt my bra and cut his willy off"?

Let's address some equality issues here, shall we.

Yawright!!!!

Anonymous said...

Mandy ,,,

Dis iz gettin a bit ov de dirt

Weez gals shud av cocksicker lyrics well armed an that and only doo-doo men likes blow jobs for their big he-goes....They likes inflations

De gym is bad and needs a sewer to flush the bad lads dere

Anonymous said...

Its disgusting that South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and Lewisham PCT executives refuse to do anything about the gym being run so unprofessionally and badly yet are using £10,000 to purchase the ' positive' views of service users.

As for anonymous, NHS physiotherapy departments cater to the needs of patients with physical ailments and disabilities all the time and its nothing short of disability discrimination to pretend an MH specific gym should be run any differently.

Other patient groups just would not be treated in this way.