Stuart Road Clinic 2022-12-12 Person 3 5 0

Some of the people who work in the adult mental health team this includes receptionist and drs really need more patience and compassion. Some people may like going to their appointments and relish the fact that they are there, as I have witnessed. But if you’re going there for your first time it can be a bit overwhelming. You come into the small corridor which is the exit for the nurses from the sexual health clinic, you have to stand and wait depending on how long the dr will be. All this while potentially standing with other service users who are clearly uncomfortable and rightly so. The most that I have had to wait with is 3 which doesn’t sound a lot but it’s not a big area to wait and if you don’t like people can be intimidating. Then you have to press the buzzer to tell them your hear, again you have to give them your name and who you’re seeing. Not everyone wants the people waiting to know their name, it’s a security thing. I would assume if you say what time your appointment is and even if you’ve forgot the drs name they can figure it out, especially to someone who is already nervous. There has also been a time where I was not told the dr I was seeing was not there, and then made to feel like an idiot when told there was nothing they could do and these things happen. Which I understand but the manner in which it was said to me was just rude. The appointment rooms are not soundproof and you can hear what’s being said in other rooms especially if someone’s getting angry or a loud speaker, which then makes you hesitant to talk. I have also had 2 different drs in the space of months due to them moving positions, which I specifically asked for one that is staying in post for a while and I would wait for that, that was over a year ago. I was told by a dr at Stuart road that she would make sure this would happen, as when you are dealing with things about your mental health suicide ptsd etc you really need consistency to be able to trust the dr. And I know there are new drs all the time but they all seem to use the same handbook to reel off metaphors or scenarios that they have learnt, which to a degree I understand but when your my age 40, it’s a bit condescending to hear the same examples of coke bottles and how it manifests inside us. It feels a bit of a waste of time.

More compassionate reception staff More discreet passing on information when you first get there. Not feeling like cattle herded into a small corridor while you wait. Drs that stay in position longer, so the user feels more trusting.