"My child's treatment for schizophrenia"

My child was admitted as an involuntary patient a few months ago and placed in a ward from which, in my opinion, patients can jump the fence and abscond. And this is exactly what happened. My child absconded after 6 weeks but we found them and took them back to hospital. But the hospital kept my child in the same ward.

A few days later, 2 hours after I learnt they had stopped my child's psychotics due to heart condition, and 2 hours after I begged them to place my child in the closed ward they absconded again. Family were placed at risk and we had a tremendously challenging and distressing time trying to get my child back to hospital and my spouse was hurt. 

Ward nurses claim they notified the police when my child ran around mid-afternoon but we were on the phone to police a few hours later when we called for help and no one knew about it. We managed to drive my child to the hospital and told the hospital we were on our way and to help us when we arrived but there was no one there to help, so my child ran away again. We chased them around Fremantle hoping to see police but they never arrived. We nearly got hurt. Finally, we lured them back in the car and took them to the hospital. By this time police were there to help. The security guards at the hospital did nothing. They sat back and watched.

Since then the team have been treating my child for about 8 weeks but they started them back on the same medication already trialed one year ago. We were told they have to see that it doesn't work for themselves as they are a different team. Recently one night I was told to leave my child's room as visitors are not allowed due to policy. There is nowhere in the closed ward to spend quiet time to even read them a story by their bedside. I told the nurses it was not fair and so they asked me to leave. I feel they have no respect for family and treat the patients like beggers when they ask for their possessions and cigarettes. I feel the nurses rarely engage with their patients and on the weekends the place is absolutely morbid in my opinion, as I believe there is nothing for them to do. They have no activities structured, no one to talk to and nurses just sit in their office most of the time.

I believe my child's bedsheets have not been changed for ages and no one has helped them manage their washing. Some nurses are lovely. Most are apathetic. I visited one day and my child had no clean underpants. Recently, the worst part is that I was told that my child's treatment needs to change but they can't change their medication until they have tests done for a heart condition called Brugada syndrome. But they have to wait a month in the closed ward for an appointment at Fiona Stanley to have the test and then after that, they will know if my child really has the syndrome or not... told they have to wait a month in the closed ward for an appointment at Fiona Stanley? This can't be correct? I cannot imagine that our health care system prolongs treatment for patients with acute mental health issues because they must wait in outpatient queues to have tests done that they require in prior to commencing their treatment. No wonder there are no beds. I am told that the waiting list for cardio appointments for the tests and procedure my child needs is 3 to 4 weeks but I learnt that it is only 1 week at another service. I was also told that my child can't go to that service to have the tests?

Spending 1 week in hospital is difficult enough for most of us in my belief. Being there 2 weeks is I feel, a very long time. Imagine being there 3 months but then imagine being there in pain for 3 months without anywhere private to be with family, being locked in where you can't go for a walk, where there is only one piece of exercise equipment with no games other than those brought in by other patients. Then imagine the nurses are authoritative, lazy and disengaged and lack understanding of the maladies of the people they are treating. In my opinion, nurses who work there hate their job. Imagine how they come across to the patients and family when they walk around frowning.

This story beholds so many opportunities to learn from as there is so much room for improvement. I feel the current system has its foundations well routed on a very cruel and primitive system in my opinion, where care was less than standard when the typical and atypical antipsychotics did not exist. But I believe we have not changed the culture or the standard of treatment in the health care system enough. I feel we do not treat our mentally ill with good care. The treatment, policy procedures are riddled in obstacles and barriers to good treatment. It rarely feels right in the closed ward. In my opinion, the time is now due to better treatments and treatment. The treatment being provided is, I feel, unacceptable.