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Struggling with retaining information and access to services

Posted By sagittaxy44

"Struggling with retaining information and access to services"

About: Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT)

(as the patient),

My experience of the Mental Health Services in Northern Ireland are completely useless I called to speak to a same day assessor last Monday  yes I agree someone did call me earlier in the day but my medication makes it hard to wake up early any day.

I tried contacting the Coleraine Mental Health team on 7 different occasions and no one answered the phone on the 8th attempt someone answered the phone and they offered me the same day assessor. I agreed with this but based on previous experiences no one calls me back and unfortunately again on this occasion history repeats itself and no one called me back!

My experience of the mental health services are atrocious I have found myself running repeatedly to Causeway Hospital ED department just to be sent home by the Mental Health Liaison Team!

I see I have absolutely no future on this earth because I’m never going to be supported because I have such a traumatic childhood and that I’m failing to retain any information that I try to learn at either the recovery college or with other staff. I struggle to retain information on a grand scale and and of the groups I have attended I can never retain or rethink any of the advice or tools that are mentioned within the group!

I feel like I am beyond help I feel I have so many problems that I should never have been born or kept alive!

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Responses

Response from Joanne Carey, Head of Community Mental Health Services, Community Mental Health Services, Northern Health and Social Care Trust 2 weeks ago
Joanne Carey
Head of Community Mental Health Services, Community Mental Health Services,
Northern Health and Social Care Trust

Submitted on 09/03/2026 at 20:36
Published on Care Opinion on 10/03/2026 at 07:53

Dear sagittaxy44

My name is Joanne Carey. I am the Head of Service for Community Mental Health Services.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. I am very sorry to hear how distressing and discouraging the last number of weeks have been for you. The difficulties you describe in trying to contact the team, not receiving a call back from the same‑day assessor, and feeling unsupported when attending the Emergency Department are not the standard of care we want anyone to experience, and I appreciate how frustrating and overwhelming this must have felt for you.

I also want to acknowledge the courage it takes to speak openly about how you are feeling. The sense of hopelessness you describe is concerning. Your wellbeing and safety are very important to us, and support is available. Can I ask you to please contact the Community Mental Health team to discuss your concern with your keyworker, or team leader. I would be hopeful that review of your care planning could help identify tools and practical aids to help you navigate the difficulties you experience with retention.

I wish to provide my reassurance that I am taking this opportunity to urgently review the issues you have raised, particularly around missed call‑backs and the difficulty reaching the team by phone. I have spoken with the team leader in order to review all calls received by the service on the date you have mentioned, so that as a service we can establish what went wrong, and ensure urgent remedy to the safe and effective response to telephone calls received, and priority response from the same day assessor.

I hope that my response has acknowledged your concern, I would be happy to discuss this further if you wish.

Sincerely

Joanne Carey

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