A man who has battled the NHS for decades to obtain mental health support for his wife was told by A&E staff she was not a priority despite being so unwell she was catatonic. Steve, a 63year-old from Hertfordshire, has been supporting his wife, who has schizophrenia, for 30 years, and has recalled the “horrific” lack of care she experienced when at her most ill.
Despite her getting into a state of catatonia and becoming a danger to herself, he says he has been told on multiple occasions that his wife was not a priority in A&E and there were no psychiatric beds available. His story comes as a poll of more than 600 people by the charity Rethink Mental Illness revealed that two-fifths of mental health patients reported being told they weren’t sick enough to access NHS care.
The charity, which supports people who suffer from severe mental illness, also found in its survey that 35 per cent of people had been told their condition was too severe to be helped. Despite the cost of living crisis, Rethink found that 35 per cent of respondents had turned to the private sector to obtain mental health support.
Denne historien er fra June 26, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 26, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Tackling the darker side of England's finest moment
It should have been a night of celebration. As they gathered together at the Dorchester Hotel, Sir Clive Woodward's heroes of 2003 were meant to commemorate a World Cup triumph that still represents the acme of English men’s rugby. But, as Matt Dawson explains, there was a strange atmosphere in the room. As he caught up with his colleagues two decades on from reaching the mountaintop, what became clear was just how many were struggling on the other side.
New generation gather pace amid England inconsistency
Are England good? Consistently inconsistent across the whole of 2024, it is anyone's guess where England's true mean lies. But in a year where they have waved goodbye to Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow and James Anderson, a new generation has officially emerged.
Ashes to Ashworth: inside the Man U power struggle
Departure of sporting director after five months shows the soap opera at Old Trafford has just got itself a new storyline
Slot downplays the obvious: Liverpool are Europe's best
If Jurgen Klopp turned mantras into catchphrases and viceversa, Arne Slot has a less memorable way with words. Klopp talked of mentality monsters, of turning doubters into believers, of their identity being intensity, of Liverpool 2.0.
EU requires more than just honeyed words from Reeves
Labour keeps talking about 'resetting' our relationship with Europe but then turning down chances to advance, writes James Moore. It's time they actually did something concrete
Understanding the life and tragic death of Sam Cooke
The lingering conspiracies surrounding the soulful Sixties crooner threaten to overshadow a life of music and civil rights activism, writes Mark Beaumont, not to mention a voice that would influence Otis Redding and Tina Turner
BAH. HUMBUG
It may seem Scrooge-like but, as overconsumption runs wild, refusing to buy pointless Christmas presents is more radical political act than cost-cutting exercise, argues Helen Coffey
BATTLE OF THE BEIGE
As one social media star sues another for stealing her clean girl’ aesthetic, Rachel Richardson looks at a legal fight that has the potential to change the landscape of influencers
GCSE English is dying, this is how we bring it back to life
Pearson, one of the three leading exam boards in the UK, has warned that urgent reform at GSCE level is needed. If English (as a subject) is to survive at both A-Level and higher education, it needs to be less pale, male and stale.
The last thing civil servants need is to babysit tech bros
There is a deep irony in a government that has kept making the same sort of mistakes now lecturing its civil servants who have to deal with the consequences) that they should adopt the test-and-learn culture” of the best digital companies and first-class” government projects.
