Doughty Street Chambers:
Peter Edwards law helped me when I was on a s3. I was then discharged without support in a very high risk situation. I was extremely unwell and left without support.
Cathrine Pease was my solistor and she both advocated for me to ensure my rights were upheld while I was detained. She then supported taking my case the ombudsman. Highlighting the ongoing risk My unsafe discharged caused.
The ombudsman’s found the trust at fault for not complying with 117 duties. Not properly planning my discharge. I was awarded a small sum of money for the distress caused and was issued an apology. Again this had to be chased by my legal team but was eventually received.
If I didn’t have the support from Cathrine and the legal team I would not have been able to achieve this on my own.
At all times I was treated with kindness, respect and was explained my options and rights.
Having legal support ensured my human rights were protected. I had been detained before and had my rights breached so having legal help Made me feel safe.
Having a supportive solicitor that listened to me was extremely important. I felt she understood my concerns and wishes and tried to support me.
While this all took an extremely long time. It was the personal approach and care that kept me alive at that time.
I will always be grateful for the support shown to me, the extra mile she went to ensure my rights were upheld. This ultimately kept me alive while she tried to get me appropriate help from mental health services.
The mental health system failed me but the support from Cathrine insured there was clear documentation of what had happened. She helped me get my voice heard when no one else would listen.
As much as a lot of awful happened to me in the mental health system. I am grateful that I came across Cathrine and a supportive law firm who are passionate about helping people at the time I needed it. I don’t think I would have survived if I didn’t have such a good solicitor and legal firm dealing with my case. They went above and beyond and treated me as a person that deserved helped and advocated for that right.