Less hassle!

Published: 6 May, 2010

• WHAT does Sanjay Shah (Letters, April 15) know about the local mental health services? 
I have been using them for more than 20 years now and I think that they have improved for me again and again. 
Is it any bad thing that there are not enough beds?
It means that there are fewer chances of being sectioned into one. 
If there aren’t any out-patient appointments then there aren’t any doctors or nurses hassling me to take medication which makes me feel worse.
It is wrong to say that the fact that Camden & Islington has become a foundation trust has made things worse. They were pretty bad before. 
There is a huge amount of dissatisfaction and disillusionment among the foundation trust’s staff and this is simply reflected in the poor services. 
The truth is that nobody cares much and those who run the services seldom see any reward for their efforts so they care less too. 
That is a real problem because it’s their job. 
And it is a job where they are constantly being pressed to meet impossible targets. It is hardly surprising that there is so much staff sickness with stress.
If the cuts mean that the psychiatrists can’t act as policemen then I’m all for it.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED, NW2