Forest House Adolescent Unit

Forest House Adolescent Unit 2022-03-11 Person 1 5 0

Our 16 year old son was admitted under Section 2 of the MHA for assessment. He didn't settle well early on and ended up being restrained and put in seclusion for 4 days in the adult Oak ward. He stated that he was kicked in the head during restraint. Once back on the ward he settled and interacted with staff but 3:1 observation was unsettling to say the least but he coped. He has ASD and anxiety disorder and has suicidal ideation on occasion which is why he was admitted. His appointed doctor was hyper, condescending and unreliable and at the end of his Section 2 failed to turn up to what was a very important moment for our son. He asked to see her but the staff said she wasn't coming. This led to predictable disregulation and damage to a window and door. He was taken in caged transport down to the adult unit again and placed in the S136 'suite' which is worse than a prison cell. Cameras, a toilet and shower in open view, a mattress on the floor, no pillow, no sheet and has been there for 3 days now under Section 3. He has to ask for toilet paper and has no towel. He showered in his pants to avoid being watched and sat in wet clothes to try and get dry. I would post a video if I could to show the environment that a young autistic adolescent has been put in. No fresh air, his legs hurt from sitting on his mattress and I had to appeal to staff to give him a pillow. Rapists get better treatment than this. It is an utter disgrace. We are waiting to see if a low-secure space becomes available but in the mean time he is locked up like an animal although we treat animals better than this. Many of the staff are nice to deal with but protocol is the issue, they follow the rules regardless how damaging it is to our son's health. NHS? National Harm Service!!

Forest House Adolescent Unit 2021-11-10 Person 1 5 0

i was in forest house for 3 weeks and honestly it had good parts as well as bad. the good parts were the people you meet in there and some of the staff. when i first got there i was so nervous but everyone was so nice and most of the staff are nice as well. however the staff are also a bad part of my experience. when i first got there i was in the 136 suite, the staff were very unsupportive. i was constantly crying begging to go home, hurting myself and they straight up ignored it, like legit stood there and watched me then walked away. the morning i woke up i needed my inhaler and nose spray and also some water, my nose was completely blocked, my chest was tight, i was billing and very thirsty but they didn’t tell me how i would communicate with them bc in the 136 you’re completely locked in. i eventually pressed the buzzer and told them all that and asked for some water, i’m not sure how long i waited bc i had no idea of the time but i heard them laughing so i buzzed again and thats why they came and i had to ask for my inhaler and nose spray again and after a while they eventually gave it to me. when i was transferred from the 136 to the main ward i was taken to my room and a nurse sat by my door without telling me a word about what was going on, i eventually found out that i was on 1-1 and had to isolate but i didn’t know at the time and i didn’t want to seem rude by asking what was going on. while i was on 1-1 some of the staff were really lovely but some had no idea about mental health, they would fall asleep during the night and completely ignored you when you were hurting yourself and one of my 1-1’s is deaf and that is unsafe, i was punching the wall in the bathroom until i fractured my hand and bc of his heating he did nothing but he also didn’t care either bc he could see i was very distressed before i started punching the wall and he just sat down doing his word search leaving me to do what i wanted. some 1-1’s were also quite rude as well, for example with bathroom privacy if i would ask for them to leave or just wait outside the door with it open rather then it being shut with them standing inside they’d have a go at me which is so unnecessary. some nurses were very condescending and rude, if you asked for help with someone they’d give you unhelpful and invalidating responses, one time i had to go and have my meds and we always go into the clinic room for some privacy and there was a new nurse and he said to come and have my meds and so i went into the room and he started having a go at me going “why are you coming in here” “what do you think you’re doing” “you know you’re not allowed in here” blah blah just being really rude and the head nurse that was on came and shut the clinic door and gave me the dirtiest look and i went back into the quiet lounge and sat down and he started going “where are you i called you for your meds and you haven’t come” like just being rude again. if there was a new rule that’s completely fine but just tell me instead of being rude. also about the staff, you got no therapy. no support what so ever. there’s the occasional staff member who you were able to talk to about what’s on your mind and they’d sit and talk to you about it but you didn’t get a proper form of therapy. like i said i was there for 3 weeks and in that time i didn’t get therapy, didn’t have a care plan made and wasn't assessed to go to school. they make decisions about you and don’t tell you, and also diagnose you with things and don’t tell you but also ignore serious warnings and diagnosis’s. when i was in there my eating went severally downhill, i didn’t eat for days and lost loads of weight. i was told multiple times that i was going to be put on a meal plan and it didn’t happen. whenever you’d have incidents you’d either be completely ignored and told you’re keeping everyone up who’s trying to sleep (if it were at night) or just told to stop during the day or you’d be restrained without a word then left with no support and no one to talk to. the also don’t check your rooms properly, i and some of the friends i made in there had snuck things in to use to self harm and mine was never found but i used it to self harm every night. i’ve also had incidents when i’ve head banged at night and i would hear staff say “is it me” but they’d just leave me and not come in. if you’re put on 10 minute/20 minute/general checks, they don’t do them and if they do the majority of the time it isn’t done properly. some nurses were really good, they’d come in and actually check if you’re okay properly and some when you’re sleeping would come round and actually check your face but some would just look through the glass at you and not say anything, once someone opened my door and shut it a second after and didn’t speak or look at me and i was in the bathroom so they didn’t even see me. when i was moved onto 10 minute checks i was left alone for hours without a check. i was also moved from 10 minute check to general without a word. i turned 18 while being at forest house and dr fernandez wanted me to be transferred to kingfisher which i didn’t want and i stated valid reasons as to why i didn’t want to go but they were all ignored. i had a cpa which i didn’t attend bc i was given to choice not to if i felt like i couldn’t and she said she’d come and update me the same day, i waited like 4 days maybe more and wasn't updated and then i found out a week later in ward round that i was being transferred and that it had all been agreed. i walked out my ward round and they restrained me but i managed to get out, i was then given no support from her. i had no transition process, nothing. i asked to be put on extended leave instead of going to kingfisher then if i couldn’t keep myself safe i would go into kingfisher informally bc i saw it as i was given a chance and i messed it up kinda thing but she refused. kingfisher is a different thing but it’s worse then forest house bc you’re completely neglected. also while at forest house they told my mum nothing, obviously i was keeping her updated but if i hadn’t had told her she would have no idea that i was being transferred to kingfisher. there’s also not enough staff at forest house and i can’t stress that enough. during the day when we don’t have our phones we’re bored out of our minds. there’s never any groups and if one is planned it gets cancelled, we can never go into the rec room bc there’s never enough staff, all we do all day is either play uno or just found some way to keep ourselves entertained. there were good parts to forest house like the some of the staff were so nice and i do miss them, the nice staff would make our experience a bit more manageable but trying to cheer us up and doing activities with us but it’s rare. i do prefer the environment in forest house as it’s all children nearish to your age and you’re put in a routine but i just wish the age wasn’t 18 bc yes you’re legally an adult but you’re not an adult mentally. everyone has different experiences with forest house so if you’re getting admitted and reading this just bc my experience wasn’t the best it doesn’t mean it won’t help you, it’s more for keeping you safe then recovery.

Forest House Adolescent Unit 2021-10-29 Person 1 5 0

Horrible environment. Rude and careless staff, will watch you hurt yourself or go straight to restraining you without warning or an explanation with zero support. During some of the restraints i was in staff would step on my hair with their shoes on and ignored me when i told them they were hurting me. After a attempt they stripped my room and then left me with no meds to calm me down or a member of staff to talk to, they just expected me to get over it and go to sleep. Reading back on my notes i was supposed to be on a meal plan, i was not and had mo idea of this, because of this i lost alot of weight in there and no one noticed. Another patient was following me everywhere and calling me fat, i told staff and nothing was done this continued until i was discharged. I was not included in any decision making involved in my ‘care’. I have so much more to say but i think what i have said should be enough. DO NOT go here i came out 10X worse than when i went in, it only adds to your trauma and will learn unhealthy self-harm methods.

Forest House Adolescent Unit 2021-05-03 Person 2 5 0

iv been admitted here twice both times iv had the same dr. I had Dr hussain who i mostly did not like she was not honest with me when i asked for my diagnosis and told me if i were to be admitted for a third time she would diagnose me with eupd and that it was my choice to get better. i am still shocked she said that as it is not my choice to be ill. near the end of my first admission i was supposed to be on a meal plan as it was reported i was barely eating, no plan was made and i continued to barely eat until i was discharged. most of the staff are nice but the rest have no clue about mental health and 1-1s fall asleep, eat and more while working. Head nurses do nothing when you have an issue and dont take you seriously, i reported another patient to one for saying extremely triggering things to me and nothing was done to stop this from happening. on my second admission i was discharged a week after a large incident and was only taken off 1-1 the day before i left. i ended up coming back the day after and was sent home 2 days later. This was my experience and it did not help me if anything it made me alot worse and traumatised me, i hope i will never go back there.

Forest House Adolescent Unit 2021-03-07 Person 2 5 0

I was in forest house for just under 3 months. I have very mixed feelings about my stay but generally, the place was clean (mostly), all the kids I met were so lovely and supportive (better at helping than the staff), the activities were ok but like over Christmas and half term they had a different timetable with lots of plans but didn’t do most of them because there wasn’t enough staff. The food was ok but like normal hospital food... they do make you something else if you don’t like it tho which is nice but I mainly ate my own food from home as you can keep a box in the dining room full of stuff you like. Generally they managed to keep us safe although the agency staff weren’t and didn’t really care when we were having an incident. Half the staff were lovely and understanding, and he other half didn’t have a clue about mental health and made things worse. There were a few members of staff that I had to report for stuff but they didn’t do anything about it. Despite all this, when I was at my worst it kept me safe and the school there was the best and made me more confident in going back after. I would recommend this to people who are considering going but just don’t expect it to cure you, it’s just to keep you safe. If you get the chance I would go but now that I’m out I don’t ever want to go out. If this is your first admission and you are reading these reviews, try not to worry as everyone has different experiences and don’t be too scared if you can as all your kids are so lovely and really help you. You make friends for life in there and they keep you going ❤️❤️

Forest House Adolescent Unit 2020-11-14 Person 2 5 0

i was in forest house for a crisis admission, and honestly it was really hard. the only good part was some of the people i met there. i was admitted at 5am and left to sleep. a doctor woke me up at 7am and told me they would give me therapy, put me on medication and that i was on 15 min checks. when i woke up later on, i was sitting in my room alone for over an hour before i was checked on. i was not given any meds or therapy. i was promised support at home from a social worker and was again given nothing. i had one individual session with a support worker, who i was meant to be making a safety plan with, i cried and couldn’t come up with any answers so it was all made up. Dr Z was one of the most patronising, lying and unhelpful people i have ever met in the mental health services. she told me i had no mental health problems when i have since been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and borderline personality disorder. i had a cpa where me and my mum both cried and i said i felt unsafe to go home and my mum didn’t feel like she could take care of me, yet i was sent home that day anyway. my mum had to be on 24 watch with me. they didn’t help me at all, in fact, they made me feel more hopeless. and all of the support offered in my discharge plan didn’t end up happening. however, the food was fine, there were some decent activities and some staff were nice, in particular, rosie, nigel, farrah. i wouldn’t recommend it, but obviously you don’t have much choice generally, so i’d just say push for the support you need. sometimes it’s just not enough though, i was completely honest and open and still didn’t get anything i needed.

Forest House Adolescent Unit 2020-11-06 Person 3 5 0

The vast majority of staff (with exceptions, but they are few and far between) are lovely and really genuinely care and try to help you. Being an NHS trust, things do tend to move quite slowly and it’s understaffed etc, but I felt as though I had people to talk to and the healthcare assistants were very friendly. My only complaints would be that: -They never serve vegetables at mealtimes which is incredibly strange, particularly for a hospital that helps those with eating disorders -As mentioned in a previous review, there are 3 or 4 staff members who do treat you as if you’re just a child having a meltdown, and they often don’t seem to be making an effort to actually understand your struggles, however this isn’t the case for most staff members -Everything takes so bloody long to get going (but you get what you pay for I guess), so even though I was supposed to be admitted for 4 weeks, none of the talk therapies started until the third week, which meant my proposed discharge date inevitably became later.

Forest House Adolescent Unit 2020-06-22 Person 1 5 0

Staff were completely inappropriate. At the time I accepted it, as I was at the ages of 13 and 16 in my 2 admissions, but looking back as an adult I am disgusted by the way mentally ill young people were treated there, myself included. Dr Jon was my dr in my first admission, and absolutely awful. Didn’t listen, told me he knows I don’t like him when I never said that to him,, I didn’t have much say in anything, he called me oversensitive when discussing my diagnosis (yet did not mention anything about the correct diagnosis that I later got as an adult, which made a massive delay in my recovery but understandable as the staff didn’t put in much effort to try work out what was going on) and asked me a question about my sexual history in a care plan review in front of a room full of staff, including teacher from the education centre. Even if it was relevant, it was humiliating. I also heard he tapped the side of his head and said ‘it’s all in your head’ to convince another patient that was in the isolation room for days that he was making up stuff that dr Jon promised about when he would be able to be taken out of isolation. However, in my second admission I had a different doctor (German name starts with H I cannot remember it) and he was extremely helpful and understanding in comparison so I’m grateful of that. Most of the health care assistants were either rude and insensitive and used very angry and loud harsh voices (Told me to get over it/be quiet cos I’ll upset everyone else /that I was overreacting / stop banging my head against the wall cos my nose bleed will spoil my jeans ! etc. When I was upset like I was having a tantrum and not struggling with a long term mental illness.) or just didn’t care at all. I understand it must be very stressful working in care but the kids who are admitted in these units are vulnerable and things like that affect them much more as they are already struggling. A couple were nice and funny but overall when it came to patients actual mental health it was a very horrible place to be. All this made me feel like my feelings and wellbeing were even less important than I felt they were before I was admitted, but then that would be contradicted by stuff like a nurse threatening to inject me so that I didn’t refuse my medication. The food was disgusting too, but that didn’t really bother me. I can’t imagine what it was like for those with eating disorders. If you have a say in where your child is admitted, I would definitely try to avoid forest house. I also spent 8 months in the Darwin centre in Cambridge and it was so amazing in comparison to just a few months at FH. So if there are spaces and that is somewhere your child can go and you can travel to, I recommend trying to get them care there

Forest House Adolescent Unit 2020-02-19 Person 1 5 0

This place physically abused me and didn't offer me any help at all.

Forest House Adolescent Unit 2019-12-30 Person 4 5 0

It's crazy to believe that such an amazing place is all free under the NHS. I was admitted into forest house for treatment of anorexia nervosa and the intensive care they provide for every single person there is amazing. So much of the staff are so lovely and there is a huge amazing team of people always on hand to help in whatever way you need. It's truly a shame to hear there are bad reviews of forest house as I think it is absolutely amazing what they do. I came in dreading stepping foot on the unit and by the time I left part of me didn't even want to leave!