Simmons House Adolescent Unit

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Reviews

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  Zybraiyzha Jones

  27-03-2023
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  angl fairy

  I was in a traumatised state when I was here and the toxicity and blaming and forcing from the staff members, obviously made things worse. At one point a doctor lied to me regards my medication, I didn’t get enough treatment so my admission wasn’t really helpful, and it’s just not a good hospital. I’ve heard other patients/parents complain about the same sort of things. Should be closed down.

  27-02-2023
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  Kianosh Joseph

  Awful place for young people, should be closed down, the stuff are not nice

  27-10-2022
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  Patrik Gaspar

  terrible quality of clothing and never any free dressing rooms to try my clothes on. Its very overpriced even a charity store is better than this one!!! 😡

  27-09-2022
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  Kolya Suschitzky

  ricardo you bald head is nice may i stroke it? and garry did u finish walking dead? i dont like gladis is ashley allowed to drive again

  27-06-2022
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  Laura Young

  27-05-2022
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  Majia Aktar

  Ronald is a liar

  27-05-2022
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  Stehphen Cakebread

  I was a patient at Simmons House from the age of 13-16.this was in the late 70s.I was a very troubled child with many problems and was offered a place there by Dr Philip Boyyd whom I sadly found out died in 95.it was a very hard experience at first and battled authority tooth and nail but after 7-8 months started to understand they were there to help. From the age of 15 I started to embrace the schooling offered there and when it was time for exams (gcse's at that time) I ended up with an A in math's and I believe a B or even an A in English. My drug addictions were managed in a professional way and though later on in life they reared their ugly heads again I believe my stay at Simmons House gave me an opportunity to address these a lot easier. The staff I can remember being fair and approachable but never the need to be physical, they could talk you down very well. Sister Mary (I believe, or was it Anne) was the leader of the team and Camellia, John and a few others who's name I sadly 40yrs later have forgot. Looking at the images even though the building looks newer, the feeling I get and heartfelt gratitude for Simmons House remains. Lastly if you sadly for any reason do have to be admitted or choose to be, (if it is still there) please take a walk round St Lukes hospital ground and look for the plague from Spike Milligan, it'll chear you up (if you research Spike Milligan it'll mean so much more).

  27-05-2021
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  Aoife Greene

  I was a patient for 14 moths and have very mixed views about the unit. I will note everyones experience is different + some of my views may be hindered due to the mental state I was in, but I have had a long time to process/reflect on my experience since leaving so my review is true to the best of my knowledge. The permanent nursing team are brilliant + were always friendly. I was treated with respect + kindness and (for most of my admission) felt the utmost compassion from them when distressed. They tried to understand what I was going through + talk to me. I found key working sessions helpful + valued that time greatly. I could speak about my difficulties without feeling judged + I learnt things about myself that I never would have had I not had such altruistic people around me. However, there were times where I felt I wasn't being listened to and when in crisis I felt people were fed up with me. Staff were low, there were shifts where I barely knew 1 persons name. I felt a lot of the agency staff didn't understand mental health + didn't do observations correctly (falling asleep on 1:1, not keeping people in eye-sight/arms reach when needed + not checking people on 15 minute obs). Perhaps this was due to lack of training, but it’s important checks are done so there should be a larger emphasis on this when they come. Despite this, there were people who worked bank/agency who were amazing + helped me a lot. They spent more time with us + we got to work closely with them- it's a shame that they have such little say in our care when they are the ones who witness our highs and lows first hand. The groups offered, in hindsight, were good. When I was there I engaged in few groups offered but the ones I went to were a good distraction, but didn’t make a difference to my health. I think some groups were less popular due to their content + sometimes I found them boring but I appreciate the effort. School was excellent! They really helped me do my GCSE's and what you studied was tailored to your specific needs/interests. I like how we didn't just have school all day as we could focus on our health more- an important message to illustrate. I found the individual therapy worked for some but not me. I had a therapist who, by no fault of their own, I couldn't gel with. I tried countless times but never got anywhere. I feel the therapist should be chosen partly on what they specialise in treating but also if the combination of personalities can work to achieve progress. Family meetings are something I haven't much to say about. They were far from enjoyable but I respect that working with the family is important. In the few sessions I went to I don't think anything changed + the conversations were repetitive. The consultants worked too differently. In my meetings, discussions were the same. I sometimes felt listened to, otherwise not at all. When I was struggling a lot + telling them the things I needed to help, they always said no. There was no negotiation + certainly no positive/therapeutic risks taken which genuinely would have helped me. The meds I was on evidently weren't working but the dose/med was hardly changed after I expressed my views. I saw my consultant often, we connected well but nothing that needed to be explored was. I found that for people to take action I had to go to drastic lengths which led to deprivation of my liberty. The approach of “voluntary till risky” was confusing. Boundaries were not made clear/varied too widely between patients. Many things went unnoticed + there was no exploration into early warning signs. There was a reoccurring theme of no action being taken until it was desperate e.g. the security system of money stored there wasn’t changed till I had £300 from xmas/birthday go missing. I’m not trying to allude that they are lazy, more that systems need regular reviewing/updating. Overall, I think Simmons House is hit and miss. It works well for some but makes others deteriorate. I regard the people who work there highly and I think this unit is better than others, but improvements need to be made.

  27-05-2019
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  Unity In Spirit12:13

  27-05-2019