The Huntercombe Hospital - Norwich

Very good bunch of people, go above and beyond, also a very nice place.

My 16 year old daughter has been suffering from Bi-Polar for a number of years, however last December she took a real down turn. She was subsequently in 3 different hospitals none of them were able to help and she declined further and further until she became so critical I really thought she would not make it.
One hospital actually said she had behavioural problems, this was definitely not the case, anyone who knows her will tell you how polite and caring she is.
On the 17th May this year she was transferred to the Huntercombe Hospital in Norfolk . Initially Both myself and my daughter were devastated as it meant that she would be 217 miles away from home. This meant that I was going from seeing her everyday to every other week. As a mother I found this totally heart breaking, as did she.
The first time I arrived at the hospital I was surprised how beautiful the surrounding area was , the hospital however was in the middle of nowhere. There were 10 foot high gates and surrounding fence and my 2nd thought was she is ill not a criminal.
Once inside I spoke to the receptionist who explained that before I could go into a room to see her I had to put my bag ,phone etc. into a locker, all this was new to me and once again I thought I was visiting a criminal.
I could not have been more wrong! Once in the room we were offered a tray or tea/coffee and biscuits, the staff were lovely ,they joined in with conversations. As you can imagine it is hard to keep conversation going when your child is so desperately ill and you don't want to talk about what you have been up to as you don't want to upset them even more. My daughter hadn't seen her beloved dog for 3 months as the other hospitals wouldn't allow it to visit, at Huntercombe they welcomed him as they saw him as part of the family. We stayed in the hospitals apartment and once again our dog was allowed to stay too.
Once my daughter was classed as being "safe" she was able to go out to the local supermarket, MacDonald's drive through and gradually this has been built up to visits to the beach, theme Parks ,summer fairs and more. When we visit now she is able to come out with me for up to 8 hrs. Everything has been built up slowly to ensure her safety .
With continuing support she has become aware of ways to manage her mental health, she is happy, cares about her appearance ,honest and open about what was troubling her.
Yes we as a family have played apart in her recovery but every person at the Huntercombe have been amazing from receptionists, nurses, support staff ,Dr's and Psychologists . The difference being they care, each one had a role to play in my daughters recovery. They never once gave up on her ,other Mental Health hospitals have a lot to learn from them.
The only downside has been the distance, but I have been able to contact her via phone everyday, Ian her psychologist has called me weekly at the times he said he would to keep me updated on her progress. The nurses Charlotte and Bright have kept me in formed.
Also my daughter talks constantly of Bryony, Molly, Zoe, Kelly, James and Fudge staff that have been through everything with her. Oh not forgetting Becky and Steve the Gym instructors what can I say but thank you for giving me back my daughter.
She is due to be transferred back to a local hospital in the next couple of weeks as informal patient ,this is just to ensure that everything within the community is in place for her, If you had asked me 4 months ago could I imagine this day ,it would have been a resounding no !
So once again thank you