You will not find a nicer bunch of people than the clients that frequent the establishment, and with a great sense of humour and a kindly ear to moan into, the staff are excellent people councillors too..........
This hospital needs a lot more support than it gets. The building needs modernising and the phone lines need more support. You’re dealing with a vulnerable group of people and they need to feel comforted and need to be able to reach people when they can. There needs to be more digital interaction such as an app for requests and for appointment reminders and cancellations to be made easy so that they can be freed up for other people. The technology in this hospital resembles 1980s Kentucky and it’s a disgrace. I think nhs Grampian is notorious for this all round. The hospital staff need to remember that people there are ill whether it’s physically or mentally and need the same level of care at ARI or RACH. Saying that they can get their own tea or coffee and their own meals and own meds is just backwards. They’re needing cared for that’s why they’re there. I highly doubt the excuse of “it will enable their condition” is valid. A lot of nurses leaving this hospital did not have a good experience working there with the lack of support and the attitudes of some staff. They all need to get on the same page and stop treating the patients here like ticket numbers. Sometimes there are no doctors on wards for hours and prescriptions for conditions like pain, UTIs and infections leave people suffering for too long. Patients need to be able to chat about things when needed and not just a quick 10 min consult with a doctor once a week. It’s a very terrifying and lonely experience being in there and the lack of engagement is the main cause. Trust is a two way thing and I don’t think the staff do enough to earn the trust of patients.
I think mental health training is non existent with this phone line. The lady who operates the phone line is very rude considering I was calling in to adjust an appointment I didn’t make and inform them I have had HIV and AIDS medication delivered to my house when I suffer with neither of these illnesses. Terrible approach to mental health and personally; phoning up enhances my anxiety. Don’t really think that’s what a mental health ward is there for. 08/10/2025 I would rather not wake up than deal with this place. The staff are absolutely awful on the phoneline and the doctors just blast me with benzos and anti pschotics and diazapam and leave me to it. Again today its the same usual woman operating the phone line, she never listens has no compassion for anyone and is in the wrong job. I hate talking to her. I said today the peterhead team is closed on a wednesday, so she asked for their phone number to transfer me through to a team id just said was closed. It resulted in me getting extremely angry.
Experiences range from atrocious to actually very good. It’s unfortunate that the very good experiences are about 10% and the atrocious has ended in me nearly dead so I really could not justify giving more than one star. Not fun to be reliant on a place where you never know what you’re going to get in an already vulnerable suicidal state and the 90% really put you off trying for the 10% especially when the bad experiences come one after another.
If I could give zero stars I would. The majority of the staff who have worked in this hospital consistently re-traumatise patients. I was under their care for over two decades and seen many, many different types of staff. Only a handful actually cared. Was an inpatient 11/12 times over the years. In fact one psychologist in particular Adeline Graham was my saving grace. The rest of them don’t like woman advocating for themselves. Showing emotion. Even though they teach you in psychotherapy to be angry and want you to show all emotion. But only in their terms. I had a lovely social worker who oversaw my weekly support from a private company. As I chose to discharge myself over the phone at 5.30am on a Saturday morning during a crisis a couple of years ago. By the next week my case had been closed, they weren’t interested. I was wrongly diagnosed with EUPD many years ago. When my previously mentioned psychologist believed my issues stemmed from childhood trauma. EUPD/BPD is a diagnosis of exclusion. Dr Winning wrote in my notes that I no longer had EUPD. But while I was in the ward for 3 days I had EUPD traits. This isn’t factual according to the ICD 10 or the DSM a person cannot have a couple of traits. The diagnosis is highly controversial anyway, and gives professionals an excuse to off roll individuals away from this “care” setting. The diagnosis will stay on your notes forever, and will determine how you are treated by any professional who can access your medical records. Now a fairly new social worker has come along and is trying to remove the very small 4 hours of support I get a week. There’s no point in complaining to anyone as they all band together. They have a whole system standing for them. I live a quiet life, have physical disabilities, don’t leave the house unless I have a medical appointment. I don’t bother anyone. I keep my family and myself safe and we don’t cause anyone bother. Stay as far away from this hospital as you can because the majority of the staff don’t have time to spend with patients. People have managed to take their own lives whilst the staff have been in the office.
My friend was admitted here and she is an international student and her flat mates are her main contacts. We had concerns about how another patient was behaving towards our friend and tried to voice these concerns to the nighttime shift manager. She was immediately dismissive and rude to me and my friends and refused to listen to our concerns. The friends I were with (both black) were talking to her very calmly and she aggressively spoke back to them. She repeatedly interrupted them and told them she didn’t want to talk to them, she then walked backwards and put her hand in their faces and threatened to call the police. We all agree that she acted more aggressively towards our black friends. She also refused to give us her name.
This place is a shambles. Doctors don't want to listen to patients or Thier family's. Son suicidal schizophrenic told to go home and live with it. How cold lack of empathy . Hope it happens to them or Thier loved ones. Thought doctor s were sopost to save life's. Just a job to them .
Girlfriend has mental health problems, despite her gp and mh nurse wanting her admitted they keep sending her home. One day she might not be around and it will be all there fault.
Been admitted several times over the years. Nursing staff were quite nice (thanks to a nurse Liam from Crathes ward!), however the majority doctors seemed dismissive and distant, and not much help in the end. (But Doctor Felix was great)
Horrible. Never thought they were helpful, except for one psychiatrist called Dr Sam Wilson, who was there for 6 months a few years ago & one guy called Derek. Was constantly diagnosed then misdiagnosed & placed on & off tablets. Didn't listen, didn't help, was told there was nothing wrong with me. Got kept in the secure ward for a week, it was so secure I walked across the road to the shop. Nurses that work in the wards deserve better. Haven't been for a long time & mental health improved greatly since. Regret coming here, not recommended.
Royal Cornhill Hospital is located at Cornhill Rd, Aberdeen AB25 2ZH, UK
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