St Andrew's Healthcare

I got placed on Frinton PICU. I was put here on section 2. When I came here, I was patted down and had access deprived to my iphone, ipod, camera and even sanitary towels. I was made to take a blood/urine sample contrary to my dislikes. I was not able to wash/shower for 3 days and had to wear the same pyjamas for 4 days. I had to queue up for medication and accept meds from male nurses. I had to have medicine at the same time as everyone else. I was not allowed to take some medication at first even my contraceptive pill/omega 3 fish oil tablet. The volume of the staffs two-way radios is too loud There is not much food that I like so I am often made to go hungry or pig out on snacks brought from the cafe and everyone has to queue up for meals. Phone calls are rationed at three phone calls a day and nobody is allowed to phone home at meds/meal times. I was treated badly by patients as one snatched my clothing and wore it as well as going into my room. As well as swearing at me One former patient told me untrue information about why I lost my tribunal and swore at me One patient of foreign origin smacked my bottom and punched me and pushed me to the floor yet when the nurse intervened, she punched me I was ridiculed for wearing ear defenders. I was told to shut up after I got anxious about wanting my meds and having to wait Staff are reluctant to wash my hair (I find this task difficult) as they say staff cant assist with personal care needs Patients were being left unsupervised; staff only had a basic command of English One patient said that I was in a mentaly ill state when I wasnt after I didnt want to accept meds from a male nurse A staff member suggested to me to wear a jacket inappropriately (contrary to my dislikes) on a very mild sunny day with not a cloud in the sky causing verbal provocation to me I was grabbed by a nurse inappropriately whilst playing scrabble. The same nurse inappropriately restrained a patient after the patient knocked on the staff office door for something. I was not able to go out into the community or access the internet all the time that I was there TV gets turned off at certain times Once, there was only one female staff and 5 male staff in a female ward People cant access their rooms freely
Aug 29th, 2018

Not a bad place to work. Open to innovation eg the on the ward podcast. And staff try there hardest in sometimes tough circumstances
Oct 24th, 2019

Aug 28th, 2018

OK if my review was based on some staff members it would be a much higher score and I'm sad on there behalf I leave such a poor review. Sadly these hospitals across the country need reviewing I saw things in the ward I was in and it troubles me still. It was very hard to leave the ward even sit in a garden very restricted not suitable for most of the people on the ward I was on. Without these restrictions there would have been less fighting between patients and I've never heard the c word so overused in my lifetime. One older patient was aggressive mostly because he couldn't smoke there. I mean they could just get one of the male staff take him out for a smoke it would have saved all of us so much stress. Sometimes staff could be dismissive some issues regarding not enough staff there were 4 or 5 of them sometimes 3 seemed strange that why the rules were so strict. I spent most of my time vaping on a sofa or eating. One lady really helped me get accommodation etc and like i say part of me feels bad for some staff who tried hard and underpaid most likely. I give 1 star purely because its a mental health hospital the best part of the whole process for my mental health was leaving the hospital to the supported accommodation. Being there didn't really help my mental health much with no freedom or any psychology groups like I say all I did most of my stay was vape and sit on sofas drinking tea and order takeaways. If it wasn't for other patients I befriended I would have been very sad there.
Oct 27th, 2022

I was a very tough cake before I came here and Im sure the successful treatment here was made easier by my decision to behave better. The reason I recommend St Andrews Essex is that since I was treated there, I am out of hospital for four years, which for me is a long time. They let me study and gave leave to go enjoy town, later to go home to my family. They had a teacher in the facility, which is a great thing! I did my foundation in English and Maths. (Okay, previously I had A-level quality qualifications from another country, also A-levels in this country, but I needed this! It really helped improve my mental health.) They had a lovely psychologist who appreciated that I was an intelligent human being and gave me explanations at my level. Previously I had all sorts of excuses to the things I was doing, but through books he made me come back down to Earth. I spent a long time in St Andrews Essex, but it was definitely worth it!
Nov 10th, 2021