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The heartbroken parents of a mental health patient who has been forced to move hospitals more than 100 times in 11 years say they “do not know or recognise” their son anymore.
In 2007, and aged 35, Mark Verrion was a physically fit man. He led a normal life, having worked for Tesco for 16 years.
But that all changed on October 1, 2007, when he was admitted into psychiatric care with depression under the care of the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.
Fast forward to today and his mother and father, Moya, 75, and 81-year-old Michael, say he is a “broken man” with a catalogue of injuries and diagnosed mental health conditions.
Now a patient at St Andrew’s Hospital in Northampton, more than 150 miles from the family home in Fairfield Road, Broadstairs, his parents say his situation is a “shameful disgrace” and have called for him to be moved back to Kent.
In just 11 years, Mark - now 47 - has been transferred between hospitals, often out of the county, 111 times - sometimes more than once in a day.
Mrs Verrion said: “During the time Mark has been detained in psychiatric care, he has suffered two inguinal hernias, a broken hip, a stroke and four episodes of neuroleptic malignant syndrome, which is a life-threatening condition.
“Mark is now diagnosed with bipolar depression, autism, degenerative disc disorder, pathological demand avoidance and a remaining second inguinal hernia.
“He is now disabled with a catastrophic hip injury. Every time Mark is transferred to another psychiatric hospital, his mental state and presentation becomes much worse.
“We do not know or recognise him anymore. Our once handsome and loving son is now a shadow of his former self.
“Mark is totally unrecognisable and it is difficult to call this person our son anymore.
“Our son is no longer in his body; he left his body a long time ago.”
The extensive list of hospitals to which Mark has been admitted include St Martin’s in Canterbury, Cygnet Hospital in Beckton, London, Croydon University Hospital, and Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, Middlesex.
Mrs Verrion said: “Vulnerable, mentally ill patients, autistic patients and patients with learning disabilities have always been treated as second-class citizens and they continue to be treated so.
“The reason for this is because psychiatric patients do not complain about anything, because they do not know how to complain, nor do they have the wherewithal to complain.
“Kent and Medway Partnership Trust should be ashamed of themselves.
“We are desperate that our son is transferred back to his local area, or back to the safety of his home where he belongs.
“Mark has been kept out of his area and away from his home and family for many years.
“Mark no longer has a life. He has a miserable and wretched existence.”
Kent and Medway Partnership Trust (KMPT) declined to comment on Mark’s case, but said when patients need to be placed outside of Kent, they will support them and their families.
A spokesman said: “KMPT is committed to ensuring that local patients can be admitted to a local KMPT bed and looked after by their local clinical team.
“There are only two groups of people who may need admission outside Kent.
“The first is women who need Psychiatric Intensive Care (PICU).
"We do not yet have a female-only PICU and while we work with our commissioners to find a solution in the county, we do use on average 10 female PICU beds at a time.
“The second group is those whose needs are complex or specialist.
"Just as with physical illnesses or conditions, our patients may need to be admitted to a specialist national unit.
“If our patients are placed outside the county, we continue to support them and their families. We recall our patients to a KMPT bed as soon as is clinically appropriate.”
