A WOMAN who has received care from the mental health trust in Colchester said it appeared to be understaffed.

Felicity Moy, 33, has spent periods of time in the Lakes unit in Turner Road since 2010 when she suffered a breakdown.

She said: "The one thing that really stood out for me for the Lakes, was when it came to 'Patient Engagement Time'. Because the small amount of staff there, it didn't always happen.

"They had so much paperwork to do. If a patient had tried to hurt themselves or anything along those lines, everything had to be written down.

"If they spoke to a patient, everything had to be written down.

"There are staff there who genuinely care but get bogged down."

Miss Moy, of New Town, Colchester, said she was last admitted to the Lakes in 2014 and had been supported by the Haven Project charity.

Last year a funding crisis meant its future was uncertain but it was saved thanks to £381,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund and a further £84,000 from Essex County Council, spread over three years.

Pernille Petersen, chief executive of the Haven Project, now based in St Peter's Street, Colchester, said 30 to 40 of her clients use the Lakes.

Ms Petersen said she found the report "deeply concerting".

"We are hearing anecdotal evidence but the CQC report is showing us what needs to be done," she added.

"What would be worrying to us is all of a sudden people turn their back on the trust and think the Haven Project is the answer to everything.

"We are not - we can't prescribe drugs, don't have beds, our capacity is much more limited."