P-05-1078 Increase funding for mental health services and improve waiting times for people needing help in crisis. We need a change!, Correspondence – Petitioner to Committee, 12.01.21

I have received an email to write about any comments I would like to add a few things towards my petition,

So since the first lockdown there has been a 50% increase in mental health as we are all aware there is a pandemic which is effecting a lot of things, I have recently since every lockdown since a massive increase in lockdown, in my area alone there has been about 30 suicides because of lockdowns.

I know we have to be put into lockdowns due to coronavirus but these lockdowns are not helping peoples mental health what so ever instead it’s having the reverse effect and people who are not coping with lockdown are asking for help and being let down resulting in suicide.

I have seen a few stories and one in particular which caught my attention was a lady presented herself to a&e due to mental health and was turned away which resulted in her committing suicide on a bridge near the hospital, now this situation could of been a better outcome if she wasn’t turned away from the hospital, a&e in uhw has no in mental health team which I’ve experienced this myself.

I presented myself to a&e regarding chest pains and because I was suffering disassociation as well when I went too have my blood pressure done in a side room in a&e I asked “is there anyone I can talk to regarding my mental health” which I got a reply of “there’s no one here to talk to you about mental health we don’t have them services up here” when I spoke to another nurse she said they don’t have an in a&e mental health team they have to get a mental health team from outside the hospital to come in and see that said patient but because I wasn’t presenting in a bad way they didn’t do anything when I was discharged I was then asked after being discharged will I be going home and I’m not feeling suicidal which I replied with no I’m not and I will be going home, I then made a complaint with health board regarding this appalling experience I had and they suggested they would get someone from mental health services within uwh to contact me to discuss about mental health in a&e haven’t received a phone call or anything else from the Health board either.

Lockdown has effected a lot of people and I find services are appalling and are letting a lot of people down, everything is now online or filling out forms online just to see a doctor instead of ringing this causes delays in people receiving help.

Not everyone has access to internet so can’t virtually have appointments or arrange appointments which then makes them feel isolated.

A lot of people are feeling isolated and peoples mental health is being effected more and more due to lockdown.

A change needs to happen within mental health services, we need more crisis teams uo and running instead of going through 247 cav as I find cav isn’t as helpful as crisis teams would be, we need more services open and we need more mental health building opening to cover a bigger range of places as I find more and more services are being underfunded or closed down.

A change is needed whether big or small, something needs to be done mental health has been under funded for years and there’s people like me who has been let down in the past and hasn’t had much confidence in these services due to the government cutting funding.

It’s time the Welsh government made a difference and helped people all across wales to better access these services and get the right amount of support and help they need.