Plymouth Options SMS Survey

Survey Results

Our patients were asked:

“Overall, how was your experience of our service?”

Total responses	12 in 30 days
Very good	9
Good	0
Neither good nor poor	2
Poor	1
Very poor	0
Don't know	0

12 responses in 30 days

You said

Quick contact time.
The person I spoke to was so helpful and supportive.
09 Nov 2022
The person I spoke with was empathetic, calm, felt like she had time to talk to me and I wasn’t rushed. She was understanding, non judgemental and very sensitive when sharing difficult information.
Clear next steps and timelines
07 Nov 2022
Questions were clear and I didn’t feel rushed
07 Nov 2022
I've only had telephone calls can't base a service of this
07 Nov 2022
Very friendly and caring on the phone even though it was an initial consultation I felt better after that.
07 Nov 2022
My advisor said they cannot offer any services that might help solve my problems.
07 Nov 2022
Despite being anxious I was put at ease
06 Nov 2022
Adrian was amazing, so attentive and thoughtful, and really helped md
04 Nov 2022
I felt like they were listening well and understanding of my situation
04 Nov 2022
Brett seemed to understand me and o am sure he will be able to help .
04 Nov 2022
I've only had one phone call so far can't really judge a service on that
04 Nov 2022
Amy was lovely and understanding
04 Nov 2022
Really polite
04 Nov 2022
I felt listened to and the person was helpful, informative, respectful and showed empathy
01 Nov 2022
maggie was very friendly and made me feel understood.
01 Nov 2022
Supportive guidance towards getting treatment best suited to me.
01 Nov 2022
The actual meeting/consultation itself was great, but there has been no communication following it, so I do not know what I should be doing next
01 Nov 2022
The therapist was very patient and supportive in a professional manner
29 Oct 2022
I was made to feel welcome and relaxed
29 Oct 2022
It was such a helpful and kind person that I meet
28 Oct 2022
Adrian was very friendly and made me feel at ease. We had a great chat!
28 Oct 2022
Phone call was on time. Anna clearly explained the process and listened.
28 Oct 2022
Just picked up and dropped whenever they feel like it.
28 Oct 2022
Jonathan was a very good listener. Very attentive and understanding. He was very supportive with the conversation about the menopause. I did wonder if I should have rebooked with a female. This was not necessary.
28 Oct 2022
They were good at listening and gave good advice
28 Oct 2022
The first call was unsuccessful as the person who called could not deal with me. This caused me a great deal of upset.
28 Oct 2022
I was very nervous about arranging a meeting with options but the person I spoke to (Brett Parrotte) was incredibly kind and made the whole experience feel a lot easier.
28 Oct 2022
I felt I was really listened to, and helped alot. I felt like what I had was relatable to the person I was talking to.
28 Oct 2022
Very informative staff who was polite and very helpful.
27 Oct 2022
The lady I spoke to (Cara) was incredibly kind and understanding. The call I received was on time and the waiting time from my initial enquiry was very quick.
26 Oct 2022
Person calling me was professional gentle and nice to speak with
25 Oct 2022
Very helpful with helping me find what sort of therapy I’ll need for my current situation
24 Oct 2022
Very quick to get an appointment and the assessment ran very smoothly and professionally. Cannot fault the information I received before and during the appointment.
24 Oct 2022
Very informative very well done with the questioning and very professional
24 Oct 2022
My therapist, Lorna, was brilliant. Extremely understanding and non-judgemental.
21 Oct 2022
Everytime I have asked for help I got it to the best of their abilities
21 Oct 2022
I was nervous about going to seek help for my phobia. Emily Deeming put me right at ease and was very helpful
21 Oct 2022
I find them very friendly and good
18 Oct 2022
Because if this doesn't work,I have no idea what my other options are
17 Oct 2022
Quick response
16 Oct 2022
I asked them to phone me after 4pm due to being at school, was phoned 2x in school unable to answer tried to phone back no answer and haven’t heard back since. Never had a session either
16 Oct 2022
Supportive, helpful and quick responses
14 Oct 2022
Freya was really good with me on the phone.
She was very calm and understanding as I did my assessment talking about thing’s I have found very hard to say out loud.
If I sense one bit of bullshit I fly of the handle.
Just her way of talking to me was refreshingly new to me.
I have soo many multiple issues/problems it’s very hard to get help.
I hope you guys can.
14 Oct 2022
I felt supported and listened too and have been given some good advice and options
07 Oct 2022
Very quick in responding to referral
03 Oct 2022
I feel better for having a face to face
30 Sep 2022
Lady was personable, asked lots of questions. Lots of background noise so was she working from home?
Covered relevant topics, given me pathways of where I can try next.
Nothing mentioned for depression though.
30 Sep 2022
The person that I spoke to was very nice and really listened. Helped me realise some of my issues.
30 Sep 2022
Friendly staff
30 Sep 2022
Very quick response and very supportive to my needs
29 Sep 2022
Telephone consultation booked in received a day late .when visiting practice tried to discuss mental Health was told no by gp would Need to make another appointment. Very disappointed when needed some help wasn't available.
27 Sep 2022
The lady who I spoke to was very nice and understanding.
26 Sep 2022
Very professional and courteous
23 Sep 2022
Very helpful staff and plesant surrounding
23 Sep 2022
Was asked lots of questions to fond out exactly what I needed
23 Sep 2022
Once referred very prompt first assessment
23 Sep 2022
It was just Good, happened at a appropriate speed and was all polite and to the point
23 Sep 2022
Quick to phone very helpful and supportive
23 Sep 2022
The lady I spoke to was very patient and understanding
13 Sep 2022
The time it took to get my first appointment was very quick and the person I spoke to was understanding and patient which helped me to feel comfortable.
24 Aug 2022
They responded quick and they were very gentle and nice.
23 Aug 2022
They replied to my email quickly and followed up when they said they would too
19 Aug 2022
Therapist I had was excellent
17 Aug 2022
the person i’m working with makes me feel very comfortable
17 Aug 2022
Very helpful
16 Aug 2022
SPOKE YO FRERE WHO WAS VERY KIND.
16 Aug 2022
The person I talked through was very understanding if i stuttered
16 Aug 2022
It was a clinical, cold, and very insensitive interview. Left me feeling distressed aNd incredibly upset.
16 Aug 2022

Our reply

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. We are sorry to hear your experience did not meet your expectation of our service and left you feeling distressed, this is certainly not how we would want you to feel. All feedback is shared with the team, to improve practice. Please do consider continuing with your treatment this will help to improve your mental wellbeing.
didn't receive the treamtent i needed. sent me around like a wild goose chase trying to find somewhere that will take me on, only to be told that i wasnt eligible for their service. strictly made it clear that i did not want to participate in 'group sessions' and wanted 1on1 with something i am dealing with, only to be told 'we encourage you to join it'.
16 Aug 2022
No empathy in email contact which when suffering with anxiety is very poor. False expectations given re contact in regard to outcome of assessment. Not hearing anything and then asked for my hospital contacts with no explanation as to why. The outcome took 6 weeks when I was advised just over a week At the assessment I was told I'd be able to choose intense CBT or counselling. Never mentioned again with short less intense CBT finally offered. The tone of emails lacked any compassion or reassurance. I'm talking about hearing of the assessment outcome and not waiting for sessions to start here. My forename was consistently spelt incorrectly. It's not hard! Rachael - with an A. During the waiting time luckily my employer looked into getting me some support. I explained this to the counseller and got no acknowledgement with just another email sending an appointment! I've worked myself in counselling. Your counsellers need more training!
12 Aug 2022

Our reply

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. We are dismayed to read your feedback. Unfortunately we are unable to look further into your personal experience, as the feedback is anonymous. Feedback back is shared monthly with the team and will certainly be used for training purposes.
Respectful and caring
07 Aug 2022
Reception staff always welcoming and friendly
03 Aug 2022
Had a long phone conversation I am worried for myself and feel like not taken seriously
03 Aug 2022

Our reply

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. Sorry to hear of your experience. Your therapist will be in touch, to discuss the next step. We can assure, we take each person referred to us seriously and ensure that a treatment plan is suitable for you and your needs. Please feel free to contact us to discuss your concerns further.
Because they very kind and very understanding
03 Aug 2022
Waste of time. Been referred to them several times only get offered CBT which does not help. Even after a NHS psychologist has put in a letter I need talking therapy. They reply with it's too triggering here have CBT. No wonder we have mental health crisis in the city
03 Aug 2022

Our reply

Thank you for taking the time to lave feedback. We are dismayed to hear of your experience with us, unfortunately we are unable to contact you, to discuss this further, as all feedback is anonymous.
Excellent service provided by all the teams. Caring, positive helpful individuals.
03 Aug 2022
Very helpful
03 Aug 2022
I received a call for an assessment very quickly after my request for help.
03 Aug 2022
Helpful and accommodating
03 Aug 2022
Jessany was very clear, kind and helpful.
03 Aug 2022
Very easy non judgmental person to talk with
03 Aug 2022
The women was very kind and actually listened, she was not judgmental at all
03 Aug 2022
No communication for 3 months
27 Jul 2022

Our reply

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. We are concerned that you have had no contact for 3 months. Please get in touch, so we can look into this for you.
Prompt and friendly
20 Jun 2022
Quick response. Excellent counsellor.
20 Jun 2022
Kate was very knowledgeable and very understanding
08 Jun 2022
My counselor was such a nice women I looked forward to talking to her every Monday and she was very understanding and helped me a lot.
08 Jun 2022
Unhelpful activities, very repetitive and pwp seemed patronising in way she spoke to me/answered.
05 May 2022

Our reply

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. We are dismayed to hear about your experience. We regularly review our feedback, your comment will past on to our management team, to ensure that staff training is updated.
I had confidence in Warren. He was personable as well as professional and helped me a great deal.
26 Apr 2022
Very average. I've never had CBT before, so didn't really know what to expect. I felt as though the therapist didn't really believe in it's benefits.
26 Apr 2022
On the first session the practitioner didn't focus on the working alliance, or put my needs first. This improved through out the sessions, but after only 3 sessions I was discharged because I had one improved week. Very poor service and appalling way to treat patients.
19 Apr 2022

Our reply

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback, we appreciate this and do use it to improve our service. We are regretful that the service you experienced was poor. Your comments will be passed on to the wider team and used for training needs.
The councillor I spoke with was fabulous but the time it took to get my first meeting was the reason for not getting a very good.
19 Apr 2022
Warren was thorough and helped me with worry and anxiety
19 Apr 2022
Very professional
19 Apr 2022
I was told when I went in for my appointment that it was a telephone consultation but the email and text that I was sent said it was a face to face .But the lady did see me
07 Apr 2022
I was contacted and information given in a clear manner
07 Apr 2022
Very good service and excellent communication
07 Apr 2022
Got an appt fairly quickly, well set out venue, seen on time.
06 Apr 2022
I like your welcome to help me, pleasant to talk to
05 Apr 2022
The service has helped me back to some sort of normality
02 Mar 2022
I contacted Plymouth Options, they booked me in for an initial assessment & then had
3 CBT appointments before being signed off. From start to finish my experience was very good!
27 Feb 2022
I was a bit disappointed that Options wouldn't see me. I'm not high risk and I just needed help with the loss of my mum. I was given a contact for bereavement service but they only deal with traumatic loss.
23 Feb 2022

Our reply

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback, it is appreciated. We are sorry to hear you were disappointed with your assessment and that the therapies that we offer where not explained to you. Plymouth Options is commissioned to offer certain talking therapies, unfortunately, at the moment this does not include bereavement, when this is the case, we will signpost to a more suitable service.
I was able to overcome my fear
23 Feb 2022

Our reply

Thank you for taking time to leave feedback, it is appreciated and we are delighted to hear the treatment was successful for you.
Staff are extremely caring and sympathetic
23 Feb 2022
Very good service
22 Feb 2022
I was listened to, and understood clearly
22 Feb 2022
My psychologist had the time to listen.
22 Feb 2022
I was told by the woman that everything said in the privacy of the meeting room would be utterly confidential. Yet within one minute of coming home a GP called me expounding every supposedly confidential thing that I said to the very young and inexperienced "psychologist" with clearly no professional integrity and no life experience WHATSOEVER.
22 Feb 2022

Our reply

Thank you taking the time to leave feedback, your time is appreciated. We are sorry to hear that your appointment was distressing for you, however, sometimes our therapist are required to inform another professional, if they feel that you are at risk to yourself or others, or you are at risk from someone. During the meeting this should have been explained to you, that yes it is confidential unless we are concerned, we would inform you that we are going to discuss your situation with someone else and would tell you who that person is going to be, in this case, your GP. This feedback comes to us anonymously, which of course means we cannot, unfortunately, contact you to discuss this further.
Quicker reply time than originally thought.
22 Feb 2022
Very helpful
22 Feb 2022
Anxiety and depression comes in all sorts not just a questionair just because someone has a low score from questions doesn't mean they are not suffering
09 Feb 2022
My counsellor Paula was fantastic and really helped me make progress
26 Jan 2022
My therapy was given by Fiona May. Fiona treated me with the utmost care and understanding. She taught me how to deal with my negative thoughts and taught me that's all they are,just thoughts and thoughts can't hurt you. With Fiona's help I managed to cope with my experience and look forward to a happy future. I cannot thank her enough for her professional,caring treatment.
18 Jan 2022
I felt listened to and like she genuinely cared
18 Jan 2022
The service responded promptly to my referral and the administrative staff responded quickly to any queries during the time I was receiving support. Staff involved in assessment and delivery of courses did their best to address issues and be available.
18 Jan 2022
The individual I spoke to listened to my concerns and took everything I said seriously. He was professional, empathetic, and patient.
He explained the process to me fully & asked my opinion on what I would like to achieve from options.
My difficulty with the service is the outcome; the services I have been directed to, I have either previously been involved with and found them to be not suited to what I needed, or I’m already involved with said services.
I know one to one is few and far between, but I am desperately trying to achieve that for myself to get to the root cause of my anxiety, because it is affecting my quality of life.
18 Jan 2022

Our reply

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback, it is always appreciated It is pleasing to know, your practitioner was professional and explained our service to you. We are sorry the outcome was unsatisfactory. We would like to discuss this with you further, unfortunately these surveys are anonymous. Please feel free to refer again or get in touch to discuss this outcome.
Polite
17 Jan 2022
It helped me to sort my feelings and what I could do myself to help my depression.
06 Jan 2022
Regular appointments friendly staff
05 Jan 2022
I was discharged from the service because I had two good weeks which was absolutely unfair. I had just started taking anti depressants so naturally I was going to have better days. I have now been discharged and have found myself struggling the last few weeks. It was unfair to discharge me so suddenly.
05 Jan 2022

Our reply

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. We are concerned to hear about your experience with us, without knowing the full situation, it makes it difficult for us to give you an appropriate and helpful response, however, it does sound as though we were remiss in discharging you. These comments are anonymous, therefore we are unable to call to discuss this with you. Please do refer again if you feel it would be useful.
I didn’t feel that my needs were really met. It’s great that the service exists, but it feels like a spent an hour telling someone what was wrong with me and then totally inappropriate services were recommended
05 Jan 2022
When I started therapy, I had a PTSD score of 49, I'm now at 21. The rest I know will take time, but my therapist Nikki Gregg has given me the tools to achieve that.
05 Jan 2022
Excellent counsellor despite trainee status; dxcellent programme to aid recovery; issues explored sensitively
04 Jan 2022
I found the course life changingly good, each session gave me a valuable insight and tools to take forward which I feel confident about. The initial telephone contact made up of 3 phone calls could have been better explained as the second phone call left me feeling upset and that I'd failed. Although the sessions were enormously valuable as you know they sometimes started late and ran over bu quite a lot. The time was really valuable but I think more realistic expectations of the time needed would have been better.
04 Jan 2022
I was refused any further sessions due to supposedly scoring low on my questionnaire prior to my second session even tho I had my sons big hospital appointment the following day.
I was phoned the following day as I was just walking through the door from the hospital appointment asking how I feel it went and how my anxieties were. I Explained that I hadn’t had any time to process the information we were just given from the consultant let alone know how my anxieties were.
I feel this was not the time and place to be asking such Information after such a big appointment and to then be refused further sessions because I scored low the session prior to this is absolutely disgusting! There is no wonder mental health is on the up, it took me an awful lot to come forward and seek help. I now feel Completely let down and I have completely lost all confidence in the whole system thanks to this and will definitely think twice about coming forward again.
On both sessions I was asked if I had thought about taking Medication.
I feel this should be offered as a last resort, surely you need to try and tackle the problem instead of just masking it with medication.
I was extremely disappointed to have been discharged so early.
04 Jan 2022

Our reply

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. We are concerned to hear of your experience with us, in particular that it has discouraged you from seeking help in the future. We would like to have been able to follow this up with you and discuss further, however, comments on this feedback site are anonymous. We can only offer our sincere apologises.
I felt listened to.
04 Jan 2022
I had a quick response
31 Dec 2021
Total lack of empathy
29 Dec 2021
After sending a self referral after speaking to my gp , I received a call within days to have an assessment on the phone so that options could find the best support route for me , the lady Maggie was very understanding and understood the pressure I was under and the feeling it was presenting me with .
29 Dec 2021
Got to see me very quickly and great support
29 Dec 2021
Very quick service and the counselling was excellent
29 Dec 2021
I felt I was listened to and what happens next was well explained.
29 Dec 2021
A polite lady
29 Dec 2021
Lengthy self referral form and pointless triage as I said I needed something other than group sessions which I had done before or online cbt but was only offered these 2 options I am now paying privately for 1:1 counselling
24 Nov 2021

Our reply

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. We are concerned to hear about your poor experience with us. We are always looking to improve our self referral form and your comments help us to understand it from a client perspective. Our triage system, is an important part of our assessment process ( for some of our clients) to ensure our clients receive the treatment most suitable for their needs, they also help to ensure the client is with the service most appropriate for their needs. We are sorry we could not respond to you personally to find out more. This feedback format is anonymous.
Excellent support provided In a manner that suits you. Lots of techniques provided to offer help. Friendly welcome staff. Made me feel at easy, easy to talk too
01 Nov 2021
The person who I was talking to was understanding and helpful.
28 Oct 2021
Excellent staff
28 Oct 2021
Very understanding, felt listened to
28 Oct 2021
Initial triage was really good as was follow up assessment but having been told I’d hear within 24 hours, I’ve heard nothing for 12 days 8 working days and that’s despite chasing up
01 Oct 2021
Understanding, caring and non judgmental
28 Sep 2021
Reason mental health r rubbish 10times I tryed no they think they no best yet I'm the one who is struggling fir years.. Your other departments r good just that ain't.. Unfair I been wait over a year and half fir breath ment
27 Sep 2021

Our reply

Thank you for taking time to leave feedback. We are concerned to hear your experience with our service was difficult for you and you waited a very long time to get help. As a free NHS service we are extremely busy and do unfortunately have long waiting lists. We are constantly working to improve these and keep up with the demand of our service. Feedback is anonymous, so we are unable to contact you back, if you would like to discuss this further, please do get in touch,
Prompt, informative, professional and useful
27 Sep 2021
Brett was very informative
27 Sep 2021
Brett made sure to talk n listen to what I had to day n trying to get it out
27 Sep 2021
I felt like I was heard and listened too, quite often we worry about things and dismiss them like they don't matter until they become too big to deal with but saying them out loud and speaking to someone was a relief.
27 Sep 2021
Because I did not have any help with my problem
27 Sep 2021
Assessment only still awaiting ongoing support 3 weeks later
18 Sep 2021
My therapist was friendly, respectful, knowledgeable and wasn't afraid to push me when needed. The text and email reminders of appointments were very useful. The tools I was given have already been invaluable.
17 Sep 2021
Because the lady kerry I have been talking to she’s been lovely and patient whilst taking notes it has made me at ease
14 Sep 2021
They are helpful at giving health tips
14 Sep 2021
waited on the phone for 45ins to no anwers
14 Sep 2021

Our reply

Thank you for taking time to leave feedback, it is appreciated. We are concerned to hear you waited 45 minutes and no one answered. Our phone lines are very busy and we can received a anywhere between 100-200 calls a day. The phone would automatically go to voicemail and you would be contacted back. We apologise on this occasion that did not happen and will ensure we check that the voicemail is working correctly. For future reference, also send an email.
Professional, polite, and very informative.
14 Sep 2021
harry is really nice and was sorted out quickly
16 Aug 2021
Prompt reply and assessment and very nice lady to talk to.
16 Aug 2021
I felt fully understood , I was treated as a individual , my thoughts and opinions where always the most important .
11 Aug 2021
I was listened to when I said I didn't want CBT. Originally it was all they could offer, but they went away and looked at options and i was offered councelling, which had a much shorter wait time.
05 Aug 2021
Friendly, efficient & very knowledgeable staff.
03 Aug 2021
Prompt response to my contact with them
28 Jul 2021
The therapist of fantastic - and I felt I could trust her from the beginning of our working relationship. The therapy was appropriate and worked! I feel mich better.
27 Jul 2021
It helped me immensely in coming to terms with my reasons for my anxiety and tools to help deal with it.
27 Jul 2021
Prompt contact. Professional and helpful therapist.
27 Jul 2021
Very friendly, quick turnaround and very clear explanations
27 Jul 2021
The program was very helpful
26 Jul 2021
My Councillor, Actively listened to me and gave me time to answer any questions.
26 Jul 2021

We did

We have looked into this and will change the wording on the self referral form to make access to the service clearer. Thank you for taking time to tell us.

Livewell Southwest

Plymouth Options SMS Survey

Survey Results

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“Overall, how was your experience of our service?”

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