I object to the tone of the editorial column that appeared on August 19 in the Evening Press. I was very disappointed by the inaccuracies and exasperated by the attitudes it conveys.

I cannot see that the opinion in the column is based on any source material. Nowhere in any of the records I have seen does it say that any users of our services have ever been "left in filth", or that there was any "lack of scrutiny", or "neglect".

The in-patient wards in York are run by hard-working consultants, nurses and healthcare professionals who are all proud of the high standards of care they deliver.

Nevertheless, what I see as more important is the way in which the leader column portrays those with mental health problems to be less articulate or assertive than anyone else.

This is absurd and misleading. People who use our services are more than able to stand up for themselves. It is also an insult to our staff to say they would ignore the needs of their patients.

The accusation that services are provided "behind closed doors" is also incorrect. Most inpatients are treated informally and most people use our services by attending out- patient clinics.

Service users and their carers also have a very strong voice in how these are provided to them individually and how the whole service is run. Any false portrayal can only cause distress to those who use mental health services and can only perpetuate a false notion of mental health.

I invite the author of the editorial to spend a day at Bootham Park Hospital to see and experience first hand the high standard of care provided there.

My hope is that this would also help to ensure that future reporting on mental health will be more insightful.

Garry Millard,

Director of mental health and social inclusion,

Selby & York NHS Primary Care Trust,

Sovereign House,

Kettlestring Lane,

Clifton Moor, York.

Updated: 10:51 Wednesday, August 31, 2005