Participant Seven: R

“Medication plays a substantial part in her [mother’s] life. It is something she depends on to help manage her mental health. It has taken 3 years for the right medication to work but still there are many days she feels unwell. The tablet is so important, but once they are discharged they see you as fine and there is a lack of support post-release. After one month she relapsed and family concerns were not listened to.”

“When my mother cooks it is something that she has enjoyed doing and when she occasionally cooks it’s positive, that she is having a good day. Cooking is my mum’s life. They need to provide culturally appropriate activities at the hospital and talk more about lifestyle. The mental health unit was very negative - ‘what’s wrong?’, ‘what makes you feel like that?’. They should ask ‘what do you enjoy doing, what do you want to do here or on release?’”

“Mental health is not seen as an emergency...A and E is the worst place for people with mental illness to go, it’s medical-focused and there is a lack of training. It’s an ‘epic failure’”