Praise for health and care services

Last year a member of our family suffered an acute mental health disorder and had to be taken to Cornhill hospital in Aberdeen. As a result, the last few months have been a difficult time for everyone involved, especially the immediate family.

We do not wish to go into any detail, for obvious reasons, but we would like to extend our thanks publicly to both NHS Shetland and Shetland Islands Council’s social work department, as well as the staff at Cornhill and CAB, for the extraordinary amount of support they have made available to us. We can only say it was second to none.

Mental illness is not easy to deal with and the recovery period is slow. The health and care teams have stood by us throughout and made it clear they are here for the long haul to get our relative back on their feet again.

Having read so many negative reports about the mental health service in Shetland, we were taken aback at how much help and support was provided for us, especially as it was very obvious how much pressure the staff are constantly under and how short-staffed they are.

Demand for this service is growing all the time while funding is constantly being tightened. It seemed unbelievable to hear of plans to cut a further £200,000 from their budget this month.

If anyone out there is having doubts about the care being provided in Shetland, we can only say that we have nothing but praise for everyone who has been involved in our particular case.

Name and address supplied.