A COLCHESTER man who battles depression, PTSD, anxiety and addiction on a daily basis is at his “wits' end” with the lack of care he has received from his mental health team... after waiting ten weeks for a face-to-face appointment.
Adrian Harper is under the care of Herrick House – a specialist mental health recovery service in Colchester which is run by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT).
He used to be “a pillar of the community”, having been a funeral director for 12 years as well as working part-time in the military where he got a veteran’s medal and badge for service from 2005 until 2007.
The 45-year-old's mental health, however, has deteriorated to “the worst he has ever been” over the past six to nine months since being in The Lakes mental health unit.
His partner, Michelle Corton, 56, has now raised concerns over the level of care he has received.
In July 2023, for example, Adrian is said to have started having suicidal thoughts, so Michelle contacted his care coordinator for help.
He is reported to have told her, however, that he was “too busy”, so Adrian had to stay in hospital overnight and be supervised by a mental health team.
On another occasion, Adrian’s care coordinator is said to have been on annual leave when he needed them.
Michelle also says Adrian has “no care plan” in place, meaning they are both unaware of what to do in the event of an emergency.
Despite this, any concerns Michelle has raised, she says, have "been ignored", having emailed both EPUT and the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) more than 15 times in three months since July 2023 without reply.
According to Michelle she has received only one response in seven months and "at it’s worst” it had been three months since Adrian was granted an appointment with his care coordinator – a professional who supervises the care of their patient.
She added: “The last time the care coordinator came in, which I was present for, was in October where they just handed him a leaflet."
Furthermore, Michelle says from October 2023 it took about three more months for another face-to-face visit to be arranged – which only happened after she had been contacting the team for an urgent visit.
A spokesman from the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust said: “While we are not able to comment on individual cases, our top consideration is making sure those using our services have access to high quality care at all times.
“We always make sure that support is available for anyone using our services during periods of staff annual leave.”
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