My experience at Park Royal Hospital was extremely disappointing, and based on what I personally…read morewitnessed, I would not recommend this facility.
When I first arrived, I waited for hours just to be assessed and then waited even longer to be admitted. I was there involuntarily, which was already stressful, and the lack of communication made the situation worse.
I do want to recognize Nurse Jill, who placed me in 3B. She was kind, understanding, personable, and made me feel like I was being treated as a person rather than just another patient.
Unfortunately, once I got to 3B, my experience became much worse. I was not given basic toiletries when I first arrived. The next day, I received a roommate who appeared to need significant assistance. She was menstruating and had blood on her gown, bedding, and furniture. I told a nurse, and the response was essentially, "Okay, and?" I was told it would be handled, but it was not.
I eventually had to find a tech myself and ask that the blood be cleaned from the chairs. My roommate also fell asleep while eating with food still in her hands. Staff were made aware, but nobody immediately helped her, so I ended up helping her myself. Watching a vulnerable patient struggle with basic needs while staff seemed unconcerned was extremely upsetting.
Many of the nurses seemed more focused on supervising patients than actually caring for them. I also saw spills on the floor that staff noticed and simply walked past. Some techs spoke to patients in ways I found rude and condescending. Psychiatric patients are already vulnerable and deserve to be treated with dignity.
The group sessions focused on things like triggers, coping skills, and boundaries. I personally did not find them very helpful, although the therapists were generally kind.
My experience with Dr. Akinemi was positive. He listened to me, treated me respectfully, and was kind and personable.
My experience with Nurse Practitioner Rebecca was the opposite. I found her cold and impersonal. When she told me I would likely have to stay five days instead of three, I became visibly upset. Rather than trying to calm me down, explain the decision, or offer reassurance, she got up, opened the door, and essentially ended the conversation. I found that extremely inappropriate for someone working with psychiatric patients.
Medication management was another major concern. I repeatedly told staff that I needed my birth control. I was repeatedly told an order would be placed, but after three days I still had not received it and ended up missing my medication entirely.
Discharge was also very disorganized. Staff could not locate my belongings, and I spent about an hour waiting while they searched. I arrived with one backpack, yet my belongings had been separated into multiple bags, which made everything unnecessarily chaotic.
After I was discharged, I waited downstairs because I was told an Uber had been arranged. The receptionist repeatedly called upstairs and was told it would be arriving soon. After about an hour, I found out an Uber apparently had never been ordered at all.
A psychiatric hospital should be a place where patients receive compassion, dignity, organization, and proper care. Instead, I witnessed poor communication, disorganization, medication issues, dismissive behavior, and vulnerable patients not receiving the attention they needed.
There were some good staff members, especially Nurse Jill, Nurse Gina, and Dr. Akinemi. There was also another tech whose name I cannot remember, but I appreciated her kindness.
Unfortunately, those positive interactions were not enough to outweigh the rest of my experience. If you have a choice, I would strongly recommend researching other facilities before choosing Park Royal Hospital.
