Help please - HSE complaint

Redpunto · 22-08-2022 2:38pm #1

Can my sons psychiatrist coerce/refer a parent to a mental hospital without any Assesment on said person, was totally based on the OH opinions? I have tried to find out the info online but no joy.

thanks

Sardonicat · 22-08-2022 2:41pm

Is their a governing body for psychiatrists? Maybe you could try checking there? Sorry I can't be of any more assistance.

Big Bag of Chips · 22-08-2022 3:41pm

What is the OH?

If the psychiatrist feels the patient would benefit from an inpatient stay then of course they can refer. It is up to the patient whether or not to present for admission.

How old is your son? Is he capable of making his own decision or does he need an advocate to speak on his behalf?

Where is the psychiatrist based? You could contact the patient services department of the hospital they work from. That would be the first step in the complaints procedure. Although if your son is over 18 he will have to do this himself. His medical record will not be discussed with anyone without his permission.

Sardonicat · 22-08-2022 3:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119506121#Comment_119506121

My understanding of the OP is that they understand the psychiatrist is referring the patient's parent without assessing them based on reports from the other parent. Apologies if I've misunderstood.

Pissy Missy · 22-08-2022 3:51pm

If a client is believed to be at risk to themselves/others or be of unsound mind, they may be admitted and assessed against their will under the mental health act

Big Bag of Chips · 22-08-2022 4:03pm

Thanks @Sardonicat, I misread "parent" as "patient" meaning the son. I actually misread it again after reading your post!

(Edit to add: It's also unclear who you are in this scenario, OP)

A referral doesn't mean you have to attend for admission. You will be contacted and offered an admission date. You can decline it. But maybe if mental health is a worry for your family it might be worth attending your GP for a chat. You don't have to agree to any admission or treatment if you don't want to.

And also the threshold for involuntary admission is extremely high.

https://www2.hse.ie/wellbeing/mental-health/involuntary-admission-being-admitted-to-hospital-against-your-will.html

Redpunto · 22-08-2022 4:31pm

That’s it, referring psych has had no Assesment or counselling session with the refereed

Redpunto · 22-08-2022 4:33pm

It is voluntary but have never heard of a dr referring someone for inpatient care without first assessing them and offering them other options, only option was 4 week inpatient

Big Bag of Chips · 22-08-2022 5:09pm

@Redpunto this is the Personal Issues Forum. Where people post about something that is concerning them. You are speaking in the 3rd person and not being very clear about who the issue is about.

Can you please clarify if this is an issue for you, personally. And if you are looking for advice.

If you are the person concerned, and have not had an assessment with the referring doctor, then your first communication with any complaint should be directly to the doctor in question. If you are not satisfied with the response you can contact the patient services department of the hospital/facility the psychiatrist is linked to. Do you know for certain that a referral has been sent?

spaceHopper · 23-08-2022 10:59am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119506368#Comment_119506368

If your son's partner was that worried about them then they are probably right and are trying to do what is best for your son. Let them do the 4 week assessment maybe something good will come of it

Sardonicat · 23-08-2022 11:05am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509911#Comment_119509911

It's not the son that's being referred, it's one of the son's parents, based on information provided by the other parent! The psychiatrist has never assessed the parent in question, according to OP.

Redpunto · 25-08-2022 9:22am

It’s not the intention behind the referral that is in question per se, it’s just I have never heard of a psychiatrist referring someone who is not their patient nor has had a one on one conversation with them to suddenly refer to 4 week inpatient!! Surely this should have been referred back to gp?

Big Bag of Chips · 25-08-2022 1:13pm

@Redpunto, Personal Issues isn't the forum for general musings and discussion. It's for people to get specific advice on specific issues. As a result I will lock the thread. The only advice we can give you (?) is to make contact with the psychiatrist yourself. You're getting 2nd, or even 3rd hard information. Talk to the psychiatrist before you make complaints. See if a referral was actually sent, or if a referral was hypothetically discussed. Talk to your GP and see what they suggest.

Thread locked.

Help please - HSE complaint

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