‘Emma’s Story’ – a Service User’s perspective
To serve our customers in the South East, St Andrew’s Essex provides a pathway of care extending from high dependency low secure to open rehabilitation for men and women. Individuals present with complex challenging behaviours associated with their mental disorder and mild learning disability.
Emma, 28, was admitted to the charity’s medium secure service in Northampton, following a step down from high security brought about through her mental illness and offending history. She was then transferred to our service in Essex to access our rehabilitation services and be nearer to home.
Read her story:
“I’d spent the past ten years in hospitals, most recently at Ashworth High Security Hospital before being admitted to St Andrew’s Essex. During most of this time I’d felt very restricted and needed to ask permission for the smallest of things from using the bathroom (where the door had to be open) to getting some fresh air.
Having been placed at several hospitals before arriving at St Andrew’s I was definitely nervous and anxious when I moved in. The first thing I noticed that was different was the structure to the day. It gave me a routine to follow and it made me less anxious as I knew what activity would be happening at each point in the day. The OT and Psychology treatments including Managing Emotions and Mindfulness helped me recognise and separate my thoughts and gave me the ability to concentrate on one at a time. The personal development workshops also gave me much more confidence and as a result I’ve made friends on the ward and feel more accepted as a person.
Due to my progress I have moved into an intensive rehabilitation and recovery ward where I have more trust and freedom. I am able to unlock all the kitchen cupboards and go for a walk. The environment is unlike anywhere I’ve been before, it feels friendly and homely but all the support I need is available to help me become more independent.
I am very excited about my future. I’m hoping to extend my unescorted leave and maybe do some volunteer work in the community with animals before going to college.
Emma has progressed extremely well over the course of time in the charity. She presented with significantly low self esteem, anxiety and lack of confidence when she transferred to Essex and this was affecting her ability to function normally. She however engaged in the treatment programme fully and used our care pathways to facilitate her progress. The outlook for Emma is now significantly brighter with the prospect of her being able to lead a more self sufficient and rewarding life in less secure settings. There are many with ‘Emma’s story’; feel free to contact us to see how we can help others in similar positions.