Rhodes Wood Hospital | Elysium Healthcare - Hatfield

Hailey B.

I was discharged yesterday and rhodes wood is a genuinely supportive environment, different therapies, going out trips, drive offs, a school (ive always hated school but the one at the hospital is so so good, especially the teacher kiron the absolute angel) and the support workers will go out their way to give you the best care they can give you. I feel privileged to have been put in such great hands. If you are being admitted to Rhodes Wood please don't be scared because of the reviews, everyone's experience is different, if you can, make it a good experience, I know it's difficult but it's so beneficial as you'll be home sooner. The therapy team are absolute sweethearts, they really make sure you are distracted from the chaos of the ward, they check in on you, they have a bright smile that makes the environment 100x better. The support workers: Permanent staff understand you, they get to know you, they assure you, they annoy you (in a good way, if you're put on rainbow you'll see what I mean), they make sure they have time for everyone all 12 patients 12 hours a day (genuinely amazing how they do what they do), they create nicknames for you, they will be your cheerleaders cheering you on and God knows of how proud they are of all patients. The agency, I will admit are a bit shit, they don't exactly understand what sort of hospital it is which they need to as they are in the hands of someone with an Ed.

I think being at Rhodes wood is the best and worst thing that you can be at, being away from family & friends is hard but it is needed so you can have a healthy, happy and beautiful life. They ensure you have lots of support when discharged, it's ranged from social workers, an eating disorder team and CAMHS. They fully make sure everything is set up so you have the best support and don't slip into bad habits.

Staff, if you read these reviews, thank you so much for giving me a life again thank you for being angels, thank you for helping me get back my personality, my smile, my laugh, my sense of humour (it is annoying I apologise 🙂 ) and my strength I didn't know I ever had.

To the future people being admitted, please please don't panic, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, the light will come to you it takes time and strength, give your hardest fight and you will win thus battle, you deserve to be home with your parents, siblings, pets and friends. Don't let an illness that is going to send you to your death bed tell you different, don't let it win, your lives are worth fighting for. I wish you all my prayers and luck at Rhodes Wood, stay safe.

Love from, Madi. <3

Izzy

To start with;

When the CQC visited rhodeswood during my stay there, I was not even allowed to see them nor talk to them. I think only a few patients were “selected” to talk to the CQC and they were forced to be in the same room as the ward manager who would not let them speak freely.

My stay and many others at rhodeswood was extremely traumatic and difficult. I know so many others that experienced the same as me or even worse. Rhodeswood does not deserve to be labelled as a tier four eating disorder unit and it does not deserve to stay open. They have been given so many chances to change and yet it has still continued to get worse, which is why it must be shut down.

Staffing levels of permanent staff are almost non existent and so bank or agency staff have to “fill in” the gaps, even then staffing levels are still low and not enough to efficiently care for the young people of ward. Because of the huge lack of permanent staff, young people are left with unfamiliar staff who do not know their risks or triggers, and are inexperienced. This leads to more incidents and young people struggling to cope especially at meal times or feeds. In general, all staff including permanent staff are undertrained and clueless. Staff cannot even perform restraints properly. I can remember bruises, scratches, burns and marks that had been given by staff in restraints because they were too rough and untrained. staff overuse restraint casually, as if it is not a last resort. My friend was randomly put into a hold by a staff member just because they were not listening properly- it was in front of all of us. This is just one of the thousands of examples of why the “care” offered at Rhodeswood is extremely inadequate. Staff do not offer debriefs after incidents for anyone and rarely do anything after to help support young people. Nasogastric feeding under restraint can also be extremely brutal at rhodeswood. Nurses jam the ng tube harshly up patients noses causing damaging physical trauma to the nose and nose bleeds. Feeds were often the wrong amount and sometimes. Even if parents threw up multiple times, nurses would try again and again to deliver the feeds. I remember on my first night, I was asleep at about 11pm, when a team of people came into my bedroom to restrain me and to ng feed me. I was barely awake and was not even given a chance to accept the feed or even consider what was going on.This was traumatic for me and I was unaware that this was going to happen. I cried all night, some of the feed was even spilt on me, but I was not allowed to take a shower because it was “too late at night”. My one to one did nothing to help and didn’t even talk to me, yet they sat on their phone and occasionally I would wake up to them snoring because they had fallen asleep.
The way rhodesmanages nutrition is appalling and the dietetics is awful. Meal plans were always messed up and mistaken, meaning patients got given the wrong amount. Meal timings and rules were unfair, with us only being given 20 minutes to finish a full main meal. The rules included things like having to roll our sleeves all the way up, which exposed fresh wounds and self harm marks but we were forced to regardless, we were not even allowed to cross our legs. If we did not finish on time, THE WHOLE MEAL was supplemented meaning we were given the full amount in supplement even if we were very close to finishing the meal.
The staff did not care at all about helping us, the mdt were harsh and significantly out of line constantly doing things that were wrong and damaging to patients. They liked to get patients up to as high of a weight as possible just to make their relapse rates look lower/ better because it would take a while for patients to lose weight and be readmitted if they weighed more.
The care we experienced as patients and even some parents is appalling. Do not think this is tinted by my eating disorder when so many other people have proof and experiences of the hell that went on in this place.

Kate M.

My daughter was a patient sept 2023 - May 2024. She left in a worse physical and mental state than she arrived and, due to a breakdown in trust and confidence with the hospital, was transferred to another hospital even further away from home. The treatment approach focuses on boundary setting which might well be evidence based but it feels very punitive and often leaves patients with trauma. It is a one sized fits all approach and doesn’t take into account the individual.

Whilst some of the staff are pleasant (Noreen, Carly etc) many are Agency/Bank staff and have no idea what type of hospital is and the complexities of supporting someone with an eating disorder.

There is contraband lying around (one patient managed to pierce their ears with a push pin which were all over a notice board). There is no accountability for hospital failings including the loss of personal items of value that go ‘missing’.

I appreciate that there often isn't a choice as to where your child goes and in many cases it's a life saving measure however don't assume that the professionals know how best to treat your child and make sure you're involved and advocating for your child as much as possible. Trust your instincts! Good luck.

Matthew H.

I have just been discharged from Rhodeswood from Shepherds ward and I’m writing this review through my parents account because I wanted to write my experience and reassure people that were as terrified as me when I was admitted.

First of all, I want you to know to the person reading this who is going to be admitted there, please don’t be scared by the bad reviews. It scared me and it made the thought of going there worse. Everyone’s experience is so so different and that doesn’t disregard the fact that those people had a really bad time, it just means yours won’t necessarily be like that either.
Because I have a lot of good things to say and some bad things to say as well.

I won’t mention staff names of the ones I thought were not helpful but I do have to address the fact that there were flaws in SOME staff. This is a common problem in NHS where they’re so desperate in staff that some don’t get adequate training or will just hire anyone for the job. It could be very frustrating when they didn’t understand or help me or would fall asleep at table or just leave the room. But this wasn’t all of the time. And the staff that were good and brilliant at their jobs made this less of an issue.

Some staff I’d like to thank that really, really helped me were: Scarlett, Amy, Roo, Adebayo, Lola, Ola, Farriah and many more that I haven’t mentioned but I hope they know that I’m grateful and they deserve so much praise for their hard work. Paa, Dr Olusola, Dr Ade and Felix also really helped me and reassured me throughout my stay. They genuinely care about their patients and I am so grateful to them also.
It isn’t an easy job. And being there as a patient isn’t easy either.

I was so angry I’d been sent there. I was angry at my parents, at my community for sending me there and at the hospital at the start.I was desperate to just go back home and be free. I felt like a criminal held trapped in a place nobody deserves to be in.
But eventually I reached some acceptance. I didn’t want to but I knew I needed to. My motivation was my family but eventually it was me. And because of that determination from day one, it got me out within 3 months. I didn’t think I’d be able to do that. My first day wasn’t arranged in the best way because it wasn’t at a great time of day I think. I had my first dinner and was shaking like crazy with fear and confusion.

But I was so brave and made sure to do it. To comply, fuel my body and remember I’d be free soon. And that determination was my golden ticket. And now I’m a totally different person in a good way to the person I was before I arrived. I feel so happy and grateful to all the lovely girls that supported me and made being on the ward 1000X better. Having an amazing roommate made such a a difference too. We got each other through the good times and the bad and I don’t think I’d have coped as well as I did without her.
Being at hospital isn’t easy and I want other patients to know I’m not writing this review disregarding their struggles at all! Everyone is going on a different journey.Some will say it’s the worst place ever others will say it’s okay. This is just my experience and I want to help others.

I know this a long review but if you’re someone who is just as scared to go as I was, I hope this can help you see that there really can be positives even in an awful situation. I’m not disregarding it’s got flaws and you aren’t going to get along with everyone and there is some really bad things with some staff and rules. But having those good staff and making friendships, really gets you through it. I wish anyone being admitted to Rhodeswood all the best and that they know that recovery is possible.

From Izzy

Chantel C.

Hi, I got to Rhodes Wood towards the end of May 2024 - September 2024 (Shepard Ward) and I just want to try and help anyone I can, reading these reviews made me feel really uneasy as I read them on my way to getting admitted

My stay at Rhodes Wood was really hard mentally and I honestly didn’t think I’d get through it in the beginning but I did & now I’m discharged. I know it can sometimes feel like everyone there is against you but they’re not! A lot of staff made my stay at Rhodes a lot more manageable and I appreciate that so much especially Sarah, Jodeci, Mary, Lola, Dillan, Elva, Noreen, Carly, Roo, Oby, Scarlett & Diana xx

I still have a long way to go Rhodes helped physically for me but mentally there’s still a lot I need to go through, whoever has my bed at Rhodes now you’ve got this xx

diana C.

Hi - this is Mae writing on my mum’s account cause I can’t write on mine lol.

I’m an ex patient at Rhodes Wood.

My stay at Rhodes Wood in Cheshunt ward was tough to say the least. It was quite a long journey and I went through many issues whilst I was there.
One of the hardest things I found was that you would be sharing the environment with people who were at different points in their journey. Although that is inevitable. Another thing I found difficult was the fact that some staff would shout at you when you were upset - although that’s not the majority of staff. There there were lots of staff who supported me throughout my hard journey such as Esther J,Anthony, Gabby, Sarah and Ben.
I would definitely take the advice before coming here of not trusting each and every one of the reviews as most of them are people in the depths of their eating disorder, seeing people trying to help as against them, which isn’t their fault but yeah.
The environment itself was quite small for the amount of people there and felt quite cramped and we weren’t able to go outside a ton (unless you had a 1:1 which wasn’t most people). as well as this Cheshunt ward didn’t have a ton of sensory things to help people with peoples needs and or conditions such as autism and or ADHD.
And yes the memories you make there can be traumatic but that is just the way inpatient has to be to keep you safe.

Overall I think Rhodes wood did definitely help me with my eating disorder and other issues.

Millie H.

I’ve just been discharged (or released from captivity as i’d prefer to say) after being on rainbow ward from july 2024 to february 2025 and I can honestly say it was both the best and worst thing that’s ever happened to me. The person who is reading this is most likely a terrified future patient/parent and I just want to say to them that it won’t all be fine because it never will be if you’re in a situation where you’re reading these reviews - nonetheless, all the scary comments you will find about Rhodes Wood are because this experience will never be ‘okay’ or ‘fine’. The truth is that people come here when they hit rock bottom at a time in their life when they shouldn’t even know what that is yet. You will be challenged and be told no even when it may seem unfair, but that’s because 99.9% of the time, it’s the right thing to do in order to get back your life back. My point is that it’s not going to be fun, but that because (and i hate to admit it) it does work quite well. Obviously a one-size fits all approach doesn’t work for everyone and the experience will be traumatic and tumultuous in more ways than one. I struggled a lot with watching the world keep moving without me; it will feel like you’re being left behind. I missed out on prom, birthdays, holidays, funerals (this one hurt a lot, but don’t worry, the man who made this choice may not cross your paths, my condolences in advance to those who will) etc. Nothing can be done to remedy any of this, but I’d just say to use it as motivation ,it puts things into a whole new perspective when you get to re-enter the outside world again. Just don’t go into Rhodes with any expectations, i know i was terrified at first which lead me to be really happy and disappointed with certain things when i found my bearings. Take everything day by day 🙂

There were so many staff, on rainbow, other wards as well as bank staff and even some agency workers (very few, actually only one; his name was Patrick and he was so nice, like a human puppy) who made my discharge possible and without sounding too melodramatic, saved my life. Specifically Esther.D, Baldwin, Theo, Elva, Berfin, Dylan, Promise, Clementina, Abraham and so, so many more who got me to where i am today. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it because there will always be someone that you can learn to trust who will support you through your worst moments.

The environment can become tense really quickly, which will inevitably happen when a group of teenagers from completely different walks of life are forced to coexist during their darkest moments. People will obviously click better with certain people and disagree with others, but try not to let this distract you from the fact you are there for you and nobody else. You won’t look back in 20 years and wish you devoted less time to getting your life back, but you might regret not putting in your everything for your own freedom. Lean on staff for support as well as patients, but it’s a slippery slope so please be careful. Staff know how to help and are trained to do this whilst patients obviously aren’t. It can get messy very quickly if it goes wrong. It would be ridiculous to never lean on each other when you are living together, which is something most staff don’t seem to fully understand, but boundaries are important and you will to have to leave without other patients and their support when the time comes.

Sorry that this is so long! I just wanted to add that although the journey will not be linear (i for one know that mine wasn’t) it’s your journey and you need to do what works for you! Find people that you trust and who make you feel valid and stick close to them. It took me a while to feel safe, but once i found my people, this all changed. Just stay focused and don’t forget that it won’t and can’t last forever. To whoever needs to hear it, good luck and don’t waste your time here. Also, bring a blanket, I promise that you won’t like the duvets they give you so just save yourself from that part of the experience. But, good luck mostly! ♥️

Libby H.

i have just been discharged from rhodes wood, i was on shepherd ward from august 2023- january 2025, i know that if you are reading this review it may be because you or someone you know is going to be admitted to rhodes wood, i would like to start of by saying, reading the reviews and other people’s experiences can only give you a minor indication of what your stay might be like, as EVERYONES experience is so completely different as you will come to know as you read the reviews.

When reading the reviews you will probably create a big picture in your mind about what it’s going to be like, yes being inpatient can be traumatic and you will miss out on things in the real world, there will be times when you feel like giving up, but those are the days when you just have to fight harder, you will get through it, i never thought i was going to, i thought it was never ending but here i am now back at dance and doing all the things i love again, with a bonus that i now have a lot of new friends that are the kindest most loving people i have ever met, so if you are worried about meeting the other young people, everyone i met there were truly amazing people. yes i did miss out on a lot in the outside world that’s why now i use all that the staff helped me with and taught me to make sure that i don’t miss out on anymore.

now although my admission was quite a long one i can’t fault the staff for all the help they provided along the way, when things weren’t going the way everyone had planned, they didn’t just give up they helped find different approaches which would be more helpful, a lot of the reviews will tell you that the staff weren’t helpful and didn’t know what they were doing but there are so many staff who truly go above and beyond, i could list so many but a few are: jess, yas, fran, sara, amy, bethel, dilan, lolly, sarah j, mellissa, alyanna, madiva, paa, félix, i could definitely list a lot more, even the staff that didn’t work on my ward were always there to support me when i needed it. A lot of the comments also say that the bank and agency staff don’t know what they are doing at all, now i can’t disagree with that completely but there definitely are a few out of the bank staff that are equally as good, if not better than some of the permanent staff, for example, elva, sarah and ali.

Sorry this is quite long, but i would like to add the fact that as someone who finds it very difficult to open up to people and voice how i’m feeling, going into rhodes i thought that i was going to have to do it all alone, and it was so scary, but then i found staff who listened and took the time to understand me, i was so afraid to ask to talk to someone when i first arrived, and i know it’s scary to ask for help, and lots of people will tell you the staff only want the money and they don’t care but i can assure you that that is NOT true is so so so many cases, they do care or they wouldn’t do the job, ask for help, no matter how you are feeling it’s VALID, it’s scary but i know that you will get through it, you CAN get through it, it will be a difficult journey i can’t deny that but one thing i do know is that whoever is reading this, you have such a bright future ahead of you, one worth the fight, i believe in you and so do so many people you don’t even know, you got this! ❤️