"Appointment times, assumptions"

Q1. Why is it that there is never an appointment time on virtual/telephone appointments sent out by your team?

I am a professional working woman who holds down a full time job and to be quite honest it is degrading that I am not even afforded that. Information. The appointment letter states the date and that the call would be in the  morning but that is a very wide timeframe.

Q2. Why It is presumed that we all have access to a good mobile signal and WiFi in order to access the service? 

I live in rural Leitrim and have to go a mile up the road to get a sporadic phone signal. I have received horribly worded letters when either I can’t hear, answer or the phone doesn’t even ring. The letters insinuate that I am not engaging or similar but this is not the cases. My whole community experiences the connectivity issues. 

My WiFi is also very poor, again experienced by a whole community trying to work at home and an already prehistoric service.

Q3. Why is it presumed that we are safe to talk in the house?

I have 4 boys 3 of whom have speCial needs. I have been told several times that I should plan ahead, make time to take calls but I don’t have the support mechanisms especially with Covid. I can’t guarantee my children’s safety while in the phone hanging out the window or half a mile up the road.

Please consider those of us who desperately still need to engage but are forgotten in all of this. Please be mindful when sending out harsh letters that we are already vulnerable and struggling.

 I was  spoken down to by therapists. I’m not going to say felt because I was. The stigma of mental illness is still very much alive and thriving in Sligo/Leitrim and no fancy unit will change that unless we speak out.

We are normal people trying to work through mayhem and devastation as best we can, trying to stay alive in a world of uncertainty.