Kirsty Henry forwarded a written account of her mental health assessment in a letter dated 16th February, 2022. The account was summarised by ‘recommendations by MDT’, which means that a multidisciplinary team convened to discuss my case and decisions were made as to the best course of action. The letter concluded,
‘We have referred you to iTalk for counselling and CBT skills.
I have kindly asked that you have carers support, so it would be worth mentioning this with iTalk services or with your GP.
A professionals meeting has taken place and I hope that you would be updated regarding this.
I am planning to speak with Sally to discuss a handing over period.
I have completed a needs assessment online with adult social care so I hope that you would hear back from them very soon.’
The referral to iTalk turned into a farce that lasted for over four months. Before I write about iTalk and their relationship with CMHT let me quickly address the recommendation ‘A professionals meeting has taken place and I hope that you would be updated regarding this.’
It wasn’t until I made an access to records request and part of my medical records were released by Southern Health on the 15th June, 2022 that I was actually made aware of significance of that ‘professionals meeting’. I wasn’t aware that a ‘professionals meeting’ had taken place on the day after my mental health assessment with Kirsty on the 8th February, 2022. I wasn’t aware that I was being grossly MISREPRESENTED by Sally Mungall and Mark Birbeck before a panel of healthcare professionals including Nicola Hoyle from CHRTT ( crisis ) and my own GP, Kashif Minhas. Kirsty’s hope that I would be updated regarding this ‘professionals meeting’ was misplaced. There was no intention on the part of any of those that attended that ‘professionals meeting’ to keep me informed. To the contrary, such details were deliberately being kept from me, hidden beneath a conspiratorial cloak. The shocking revelations of my medical records, disclosed on the 15th June, 2022, will be the focus of the final part of Four and Twenty Dead Crows. The sequel, Just Caws, will journal my efforts to hold individuals and institutions to account for abuse, neglect and damage to my reputation.
Back to the 16th February, 2022 and the multidisciplinary team recommendation to iTalk.
iTalk, which is now known as ‘NHS Talking Therapies Hampshire’, is part of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service for patients registered with a GP surgery within certain areas of Hampshire, providing free treatment to people suffering from common mental health problems including depression, anxiety and stress. iTalk, however, maintained the following proviso, stated clearly on their website
‘We are not able to accept referrals for patients who are:
Currently working with another mental health service, such as CMHT or counselling
Diagnosed with a severe or complex mental health condition such as bipolar, personality disorder or schizophrenia.
Presenting with a high risk of harm to themselves or others.’
So, the multidisciplinary team recommendation to iTalk was doomed, from the onset, to failure by virtue of the fact that I was suffering from escalating suicidal ideation and was, in Kirsty’s report, a risk to myself.
The iTalk farce is best summerised as follows
17th March, 2022 . After waiting for more than a month, Senior IPT Therapist, Kylie Salholm, carried out a mental health assessment with me over the phone. The very same day, Kylie took my case to a liaison meeting where it was decided that I would not be taken on for therapy. I was, instead referred back to iTalk and then bounced back to CMHT, The Bridge Centre.
5th April, 2022. Kylie Salholme contacted me by telephone again to ‘check in and determine my risk-to-self. Kylie wrote CMHT on the 7th April, 2022 explaing ‘ At this point, it is clear from Mark’s escalation in his plans that he is now at high risk.’ Kylie concluded, ‘in light of Mark’s high risk to self, Ian ( Whaites ) agreed to speak to Kirsty who assessed him, and we want him to be discussed in tomorrow’s liaison meeting.’
26th April, 2022. Following another referral, this time from my new GP Dr Dougan, I attended CMHT The Bridge Centre, for another mental health assessment, this time with ‘senior social worker’, Laura Jones. In her written report, dated 6th May, 2022, Laura Jones makes the astounding recommendation that I refer myself to iTalk!! Her written words went on to advise me that ‘iTalk offer trauma treatment with CBT ( Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ) for those with or without a formal ptsd ( post-traumatic stress disorder ) diagnosis.
10th May, 2022. I received a letter via email from Kylie Salholm formally discharging me from iTalk.
24th May, 2022. In response to my email dated 14th may, outlining my dissatisfaction at being discharged from iTalk, Kylie Salholm explained that iTalk do not have crisis provision.
10th June, 2022. I raised the iTalk conundrum with Services Manager at CMHT, Vikki Long during a meeting at The Bridge Centre on the 20th May, 2022. Vikki had agreed to take my case back to iTalk. In an email received by me on the 10th June, 2022, Vikki Long informed me that she ‘would be willing to speak to the team manager at iTalk to support you accessing CAT ( Cognitive Analytical Therapy )’ at iTalk. Vikki spent another two weeks chasing iTalk before they again confirmed that they would be denying service.
Between Kirsty’s original recommendation following my first mental health assessment on the 8th February, 2022 and iTalk’s final confirmation denying me access to therapy on the 24th June, 2022, a period of over four months, I was left abandoned in therapeutic limbo, treated like a veritable ping pong. And all the while my mental health was allowed to deteriorate, during which time I made a credible attempt to take my own life and while my daughter languished, mostly in bed, suffering from the truly horrific symptoms of OCD compounded by anxiety, depression and the effects of historic trauma!
Things were unravelling fast but I still had no idea just how bad things were going to get.
