NHS Wandsworth Talking Therapies (formerly Talk Wandsworth) - London

Queenie B.

After having open heart surgery, being hospitalised with fluid on my lungs, I was forced to request appointment change when I returned to work. I felt bullied by the admin and when I tried to explain she made me feel so bad, I couldn't just walk out of work for the times she put forward. I eventually found I could have been offered an 8.00am appointment, but was never told this. I was subsequently kicked off the programme, despite be on the waiting list for over 12 months. My treatment by the service was absolutely disgraceful and I would never go back....

Carla S.

Felt worse after contacting them. The assessment call was so robotic and cold, with such an almost inhumane approach. They even said there are people that really need therapy and I took it as if what I was experiencing was not important enough. I was shocked and had no reaction to respond. Better to stop advertising this service for the sake of mental health.

Jes

If they deem you to not be on the very brink of taking your own life, they’ll refer you to their “low intensity” group sessions which have months long wait times. They don’t actually tailor anything to their clients, if one wanted group talking sessions there are plenty of community organisations they could go which don’t involve months of bureaucracy. What even is the point of your service?

Soph

I’ve tried three times with Talk Wandsworth. The first time it took about a month to be offered either group therapy or texting therapy. Group sounds like my worst nightmare so I chose texting, the therapist seemed nice but we only had two sessions before she went on holiday and because there wasn’t a set date, only email communications, I didn’t see the emails and received a letter saying my therapy had been terminated. Second time about 8 or so months later I started consults but they kept calling me when I wasn’t free instead of the times I provided that I would be and then stopped calling all together. In my most recent attempt I have now been on a waitlist for 9 months after two initial months of phone call assessments where I guess they decided I wasn’t mentally ill enough to have any therapy options yet and had to just wait. So now it’s been 11 months, mind you there was never a mention of a waitlist during the two I spent struggling to even get consultations. I even asked if I was supposed to just put my issues on hold for 40 weeks and they stayed silent. Back when I was receiving consults, prior to this long interval of silence from them, they would fail to take into account the times I would be free, i work full time on a rota not a schedule so I have small pockets of time when im free that are rarely within working hours on week days which is why the consultations themselves took about 2 months. I ended up having to try, and failing, to decipher my practitioners email from a very muffled voice note. When they threatened to terminate the consultations because they kept calling me only whilst I was working, i ended up calling them and they made me feel like a complete burden for doing so, I have anxiety that isn’t fair! You cannot be making mentally ill people feel like a burden for asking for help!! The hardest part is taking the step to get help and you make it extremely difficult that is why this is already my third time trying to get help from you because I keep feeling forced to give up.

Macauley W.

This company is a joke! I started with Wandworth and they said Ieso would help me and offered me CBT it started off ok u till my therapist quit and they said nothing. It took just over 2 months for anyone to contact me. They said maybe ieso was not for me and referred me back. Then now I’m back on a waiting list. This company does not care for you.

Paul R.

Was referred onto this service via my Dr after my mums death. All I wanted was some therapy to process my mothers death.

I was on a long call for an hour and a half with questions to see if I was suicidal, at risk to others or j such a depressive state that I cant function.

My mother died and I have other things going on this does not mean that I am unable to function. I was advised that they weren't able to offer me any services then referred me onto counciling.

I will be complaining to my Dr about this as I need therapy not counciling.

This has been an absolute waste of my time.

Angela O.

After initial contact and brief one to one, I was fobbed off to a partner company called Xyla. Waited 8 months for someone to contact me. Had one brief telephone conversation and was then told they couldn't help. GP told me to self refer back to Talk Wandsworth. Again had one brief session, filling in forms and answering basic questions. Been waiting now for someone to get back to me with an appointment since last year. Seems to me they sign you up, get all the paperwork sorted to tick all the right boxes, in order to justify their grant applications and retain their status.
2 weeks ago I requested written confirmation, by way of a summary of my involvement with them, would be passed on to a manager I was informed by admin. Phoned this morning for an update only to find they can't take any calls at the moment. Maybe they are all in a meeting, on annual leave, off with Covid-19 etc.

Charlotte G.

Quick with initial assessment but then after two months of waiting they call to arrange start of CBT from an unknown number which I can’t then contact them back on, nor do they email me regarding next steps. Incredibly frustrating and unhelpful. Wouldn’t recommend.

EDIT: they put blame on you in their discharge letter (which they also send to the GP) and say that you don't answer your phone. Incredibly upsetting for your GP to be sent this and think you are not getting help!