Dryden Road Clinic - Gateshead

Alex W.

I thought I would give this place the benefit of the doubt after reading all the reviews. I got referred here by my GP and had to take time off work to get to the appointment.

It was a decent journey from where I was based, my appointment was at 10am so just to make sure I called ahead of time to confirm the appointment and was told everything was all good and the appointment was still on time.

So I made the journey and when I arrived the receptionist greeted me and told me to take a seat. I waited a few minutes to be told the appointment had been cancelled and I had been sent a letter advising me of such, I recieved no letter and when I mentioned this I was instantly argued with, saying well I must have gotten it because its marked on her system as sent. I said well okay but I called ahead and was told to come in and was told that wasn't her who I spoke to and a different team all together. I said okay so what now? She instantly told me if I wanted to complain to call in. I hadn't even mentioned complaining and was just confused by her attitude. I work in customer service and I get things go wrong and get complicated but to have no internal communication between whoever is on the phones and the actual reception is just baffling to me.

I called the number I had rung intially and was passed around a few times and told I would be called back and that was that.

All around just a really disappointing experience, they definitely seem to be aware of the negative reviews since I was immediately told how to make a complaint.

Jamie

Poor experience. I've been coming to this clinic since the first week of last month. I've got lied by 3 people including my cpn nurse. I've been struggling with anxiety and depression for 7 months now. The community treatment team have been making me stress even more these last 2 and a half weeks by telling me lies. So I'm now deciding to refusing any help from them if I die then they are to blame. I've already been shown lots of new symptoms every month. My recently symptoms is that I stopped eating 2 weeks ago and no sleeping as well. The community treatment team were my last hope on getting me better and back to my normal self. Whoever is reading this message I will advise you to not go to gateshead community treatment team because they are a waste of space. It's like talking to a brick wall 🧱 whenever I speak to them. I'm not going back there. My life is now worrend.

S D.

I cannot stress how much damage this service has done to my Mental Health & Confidence. They state innacurate information in correspondence, Gaslight clients & basically made me feel completely undervalued & invalidated. My feelings were dismissed, I was totally ignored at times & I never had any sight of a care plan.
When you complain, they feel it's acceptable to apportion blame on the client, easily done as they use the fact that you have Mental health issues, as an easy way to excuse their gaslighting.
The independent complaints department is far from independent, they support the staff, regardless of your complaints.
I am in a worse state of mind, as a direct result of the way the community nurse I was assigned to, had an attitude towards me, and made unacceptable comments. When I raised an issue with her, I was asked if I was a sensitive person, victim blaming at it's best.
I have very vivid upsetting dreams about the sessions I attended, and cannot believe the nurse chose to work in the Mental Health sector, as she had zero compassion and didn't demonstrate any interest in supporting me. Everything was a paper exercise, far too busy typing into her laptop, rather than actually offering help & support.
There is no excuse for it, you wait for over a year for support/treatment, only to find that you are going to be treated as a 'number', not a human being.

Carl

My brother killed himself whilst under the care of this service in a secure unit he was able to hang himself!.around the same time i was involved with them and they pushed me so far i nearly did the same! Infact i tried and failed!They gaslighted me and made appointments that they did not turn up to and blamed me the6 used my dissorders against me and basically made them 10 times worse. They are absolute bullies and scum. They have no regard for anyones health and i feel safer without them. The fat CPN even had the cheek to turn up at his funeral and i Had to be held back by my family. I would have buried him aswell that day

Toni M.

Was put on waiting list for 1 year to be given a cpn that only works couple days a week and provides no genuine care, they have left me with a serious diagnosis and offered me little to no treatment or therapies. Said I have to do the work. No support they need shut down I have been made to feel absolutely failed and neglected and left with no hope for ever getting better now. Not under this team anyways. And I know numerous people currently going through the same thing within this service. They should be ashamed to call them selves nurses and doctors. Even reception are rude.

Kirsty

I was finally given help after a serious incident, I should have had it well before that happened. Not the services fault the funding has been cut to the bone, had an amazing CPN to begin with,she was an angel with a nurses badge, recognised my moods changing before I did. Sadly she left and I felt that I couldn't be open again to the new cpn, too many turnovers in staff, I didn't like having to repeat my problems over and over to strangers. Mags was amazing and helped me with so much, she protected me whilst also being professional about it but she made me feel comfortable, it's not the nurses that work here at fault but the resources and funding they have is ridiculous. They're trying their best with a workload none of us would want.

Lunar A.

I will not divulge toooo far, as I don't want to traumatise anyone with my experience here, but this place should be shut down. I'll keep thing's surface level. They gaslight and manipulate you past your wits end and push you into reactive abuse, then label you problematic if you hold them accountable. I was misdiagnosed with something serious for 4 years, when all the signs of ASD were present and happily ignored. They almost tried to get me diagnosed with DID, which is frankly ridiculous. I did 4 years worth of tests, booklets and the "therapy", all for it to come out that I have no traits of a personality disorder. All that literal blood, sweat and tears were for nothing. They then discharged me telling me "your trauma is too complex for treatment" and I haven't heard from them since, but they have still not taken off the misdiagnosis. This was before COVID. The audacity to put me through an even more traumatising experience and not even get so much as a correction on my medical notes, never mind an apology, is truly astounding. You are judged and profiled the second they've read your notes and then moreso when you walk through the door. I have severe PTSD flashbacks from that place due to how bad my "treatment" was. My GP is currently breaking her back trying to put right all of their wrongs and it's too much for her. My heart breaks for her and the genuine NHS workers who actually really put their heart and soul into caring for their patients. This place, however, seems to take joy in pushing vulnerable people to the edge of their sanity. No boundaries are ever respected either. I was supposed to have an appointment here today, but since I have no medical advocate, no protection from their gaslighting and negligence, I couldn't make it. My resting heart-rate has been between 145bpm and 158-160bpm for 24 hours, vomiting from stress and panicking because there it no way for people who have additional needs to contact them back when they call from private numbers. No email, nothing provides for people who have SPD and shutdown making it impossible to converse. Furthermore you are given ultimatums (when you present symptoms of the disorder or illness you have) where they will gatekeep until you comply or label you troublesome and withdraw care. Honestly disgusting. The lot of them need a disciplinary hearing. They do not deserve a badge of power and privilege to hold over peoples life and play god. I have attempted to take my own life multiple times due to them. They've wasted over 4 years of my life for nothing. Feel sick even thinking about walking through those doors and no additional help for support is provided. The country is lost to this paradoxical system and it is infuriating.

Carter L.

Had me on a waiting list for almost 2 years. Seen me for 3 months ( 6 appointments) then discharged me because I needed something 'less structured' I was under the impression that this service was going to provide me with a therapist or something similar, instead all they do is try to send you off to for more waiting lists for other services and discharge you if you do not want to be sent to these other services. Wasted so much time and effort with this service, do not recommend at all.