Petition by

Rethink Mental Illness

The latest Broadmoor scandal shows how important it is for us to protect vulnerable people on mental health wards. Yet Government has cut the only survey that checks how safe people feel in mental health hospitals. All of us know someone with a mental illness-we need to know our relatives and friends’ safety is taken seriously.

29 year old John* from Plymouth explains why his traumatic experiences in hospital mean he is supporting the No Silence campaign:

“When I was 18, I was hospitalised for mental illness. It should have been a therapeutic environment for me – but instead I endured experiences that left me feeling like I was being punished for my mental illness.

Being forcibly injected with medication was particularly traumatic. The nurses weren’t properly trained – they didn’t know how to restrain someone without physically hurting them. I was pinned down, face to the floor, my hands held behind my back.

It dredged up memories of a childhood trauma when I’d been treated in the same way, which really made the situation even more terrifying for me. It made my mental illness even worse and left me feeling very institutionalised.

I certainly didn’t feel safe in hospital – experiences like mine must be heard and acted upon, not swept under the carpet. That’s why I’m backing the No Silence campaign.”

Please sign up to this petition right now and urge the Health Secretary to reintroduce the inpatient survey for mental health patients – without these important checks many more cases like John’s will go on unmonitored.

*John’s name has been changed to protect his identity.