Very severe ME patient Millie being abused by Royal Lancaster Hospital

[Whit]

An update posted on Twitter from Etta

 

[Hope_eternal]

An update posted on Twitter from Etta

View attachment 53440

Thank you for sharing. I’ve been so sad and upset about this situation, I can only imagine what all the stress from being at the hospital is doing to her. I pray they continue to see reason and treat her with the utmost care and caution,

 

[Countrygirl]

·
ME Action in the UK have asked for support for Millie:

First call to action of today please, to help Millie (who is in hospital in Lancaster with severe ME and suffering awful treatment from most of the medical professionals)

Please can those of you who feel able, send Millie a card, to say that you are thinking about her?
Details are:
Millie McAinsh
Lancaster Suite
Acute Ward
Royal Lancaster Infirmary
Ashton Road
Lancaster
LA1 4RP

 

[Revel]

Thanks, @Countrygirl.

For those of us who are house/bedbound, I have found online card websites (Moonpig, Funky Pigeon, etc) extremely useful.

You can add a short message to the chosen card and they will send it direct to the recipient.

Perhaps they may also be a useful option for our non-UK members who want to send a card to Millie without the delay of posting internationally?

 

[Countrygirl]

·
ME Action in the UK have asked for support for Millie:

First call to action of today please, to help Millie (who is in hospital in Lancaster with severe ME and suffering awful treatment from most of the medical professionals)

Please can those of you who feel able, send Millie a card, to say that you are thinking about her?
Details are:
Millie McAinsh
Lancaster Suite
Acute Ward
Royal Lancaster Infirmary
Ashton Road
Lancaster
LA1 4RP

Please, everyone who is able, send Millie a card. It will help her know that she is being supported.

 

[serafim]

@Countrygirl when will the petition go live?people i shared this with are confused.

 

[Countrygirl]

@Countrygirl when will the petition go live?people i shared this with are confused.

We are waiting for her mum to say when it will go live. A lot is happening next Monday and Tuesday and it is possible the petition may wait until then in case there is a major change in the situation.

 

[Countrygirl]

The petition is now live!

Please sign and share:

https://www.change.org/p/save-milli...ary-must-stop-causing-millie-harm?signed=true

Save Millie's life - Royal Lancaster Infirmary must STOP causing Millie harm​

Why this petition matters​

Started by Abi Mills
I have set up this petition on behalf of Millie, who is 18 years old and has very Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS). She is currently in The Royal Lancaster Infirmary part of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust. Some staff at the hospital have stated that they don’t believe or take seriously ME symptoms and are speculating that it is a mental illness/eating disorder, even though it is stated by WHO and NICE that ME is a physical and complex neurological illness.
Millie agreed to come into the Royal Lancaster Infirmary on 30th January 2023 after 4 paramedics carefully helped her down from her bedroom in a scoop to the ambulance. She and her family were hoping that the stay would be short and a feeding tube given as soon as possible and to get Millie back home where she is able to manage her sensory hypersensitivity well.

Since Mille has been in hospital, it has become very clear that that hospital environment is making Millie’s severe ME so much worse, due to the stimulating environment, all the tests and the complete lack of understanding of severe ME, and horrifically the hospital has made the unacceptable decision of sectioning Millie...........

 

[Countrygirl]

2,661 signatures so far.

We need as many as possible plus comments for Millie's tribunal on Tuesday. please keep sharing.

 

[Hope_eternal]

2,661 signatures so far.

We need as many as possible plus comments for Millie's tribunal on Tuesday. please keep sharing.

Thank you for letting us know about this and providing the link. I hope this helps her. My prayers continue

 

[Mary]

@Countrygirl - do you need to be in the UK to sign the petition?

 

[Countrygirl]

@Countrygirl - do you need to be in the UK to sign the petition?

No, @Mary . You can sign from anywhere.

 

[Alvin2]

An update posted on Twitter from Etta

View attachment 53440

Could OMF put out a press release publicly decrying this injustice (and perhaps copy some UK officials)?

 

[Blazer95]

What can we do? I mean i left a 1 start review of course saying that they are abusing and damaging me patients by not following NICE guidelines and using outdated GET just to warn others.

i recommend everyone to leave a 1 star review writing what the exact problem is to warn everybody!

1 review means dogshit but 20 may leave and impression!


ALONE WE ARE A BARELY FUNCTIONING HUMAN TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG

edit: of course i signed the petition aswell

 

[Countrygirl]

This is a new update. There will be another after Millie's tribunal where an advocate will appeal against her sectioning on Tuesday.

(Note that she is deemed to have full mental capacity yet is under sectioning. Will need to check whether this is even legal under UK law.)


Millie continues to be a patient at Royal Lancaster Infirmary. She has very severe ME and, before her mistreatment by the hospital, was estimated to have a mere 3% capacity by Dr Speight. Since then, she has deteriorated on account of the NICE guidelines for ME either not being acknowledged or followed or not taking precedence in Millie’s care in the hospital. Many of the consultants involved in Millie’s care either believe her condition is mental or don’t understand the severity of her ME and the dangers of normal hospital protocols on worsening her condition possibly irreversibly or for a very long time (years).

The hospital has refused to listen to the two well-known UK ME experts with 60 years combined experience supporting severe ME patients. They informed the hospital that the hospital's treatment of the youngster could result in her death, but the staff ignored the warning and refused to communicate further.

Millie is currently being fed via NG tube at 25-45% which is not possible for a severe ME patient without causing further harm.

Some professionals continue to maintain that in Millie’s very severe ME there is a ‘behavioral’/‘mental’ element.

Despite being unable to speak from exhaustion Millie is deemed to have full mental capacity and uses a code to communicate. Despite this and her agreeing to all life-saving treatment the hospital has now sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 Section 2 and at present detaining her at the hospital.

Millie wears an eyemask and must be in a dark room because of her extreme hypersensitivity to light. However, the psychiatrists who sectioned Millie alluded to her needing to be in a dark room as a way to control others and suggested that she doesn’t need to wear an eye mask.

The hospital is trying to stop Millie from having her carer/advocate with her as much as she needs. Millie’s Mum is only "allowed" to visit for 2 hours every day (4 hours this weekend!) and Abbie (sister) is being encouraged to stay away for more hours in the day. This is a big worry as Millie is in such a vulnerable state.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Countrygirl]

Could OMF put out a press release publicly decrying this injustice (and perhaps copy some UK officials)?

Good idea!

Can anyone organise that, please?

 

[Hope_eternal]

Maybe a protest can be held outside the hospital? Is that allowed? Maybe it will draw media attention?

 

[Countrygirl]

Maybe a protest can be held outside the hospital? Is that allowed? Maybe it will draw media attention?

It would be good but people are too ill to be able to do that.

 

[Hope_eternal]

It would be good but people are too ill to be able to do that.

Oh yes, sorry I meant for people who are able. Maybe a note can be added to the petition for others who may not be ill. Just a thought. This has been on my mind so much. I wanted to help in some small way from the US.

 

[Alvin2]

Could OMF put out a press release publicly decrying this injustice (and perhaps copy some UK officials)?

Good idea!

Can anyone organise that, please?

Calling @Whit @Janet Dafoe