This page is dedicated to all those children
who experienced abuse at Hill End Adolescent Unit.
I will start off giving some history of my life before I came to be at Hill End Hospital.
2 abandoned babies
I came into the world as a baby born to teenage sweethearts, they already had one child, my lovely sister and not long after I was born they split up. I and my sister spent a period of time as babies at my fathers mothers house, my Grandmother, she looked after us and for some reason, we were eventually moved from there due to a quarrel in the family we went to live with my mothers mother, our Grandmother. After 2 weeks she decided she no longer wanted us to live her. We were then shipped off to care homes for the rest of our lives.
Bourne Nursery, Hayes, Middlesex
This was a cold place, lots of cots and tots and all I remember is standing in my cot crying for attention. My Grandparents visited us and father, mother did not want to know us as she had 2 more children with another man.
The only exciting there was having chicken pox and then moving from a cot to a bed so I could be like my big sister. I also had my other companion my black and white panda bear.
Maygoods Lane, Cowley, Middlesex
When I was 4 years old I was sent along with my sister to Maygoods Lane, and I still remember the first day sitting on a stripy bare mattress with panda bear and my sister sitting on the bed next to me. I felt cold and was crying and cuddled my panda bear, really I wanted my big sister to cuddle me, but I don't think she could as she was upset herself.
Foster Care
One day a young lady and gentleman came and took me to live with them and not my sister. I was curious why, but told that it was for the best. I missed my sister even asked for my sister to come and join us, but was told that she had a new home too somewhere else.
One day I was so excited as my Foster parents said they loved me enough to make me their own child and adopt me. However, this was tharwted by my parents and Social Services who refused me this right. I was so upset and we moved house after this and I felt that I would never fit in anywhere. I started to mix with the wrong crowd and ran away twice, my Foster Parents saw this as rejection of them and the relationship broke down.
I was sent to a childrens home in Hayes, Bedwell Gardens and then onto Middlesex Lodge which was a lock up unit and I had horrific experiences there to, I was sent on finally to:-
Hill End Adolescent Unit
This unit was dedicated to Social Services to dump children they could not longer be bothered to help, or at least that was what it felt like.
It was a hospital building with big windows, rooms and doors and I was terrified on my first day. I was told I had to go to a meeting on my second day and this was in huge room full of strangers (other residents) and we were told to tell everyone about ourselves and divulge private family information, which should have been confidential. However, I was frozen numb and did not speak from fear, and I was subsequently sedated for not speaking in the meeting, they gave me this yellow liquid which made your mouth dry, your body heavy and all
you could do was sleep, when you awoke you were heavy headed like a Zombie and this bizarre ritual was carried out every day I was there. I did not understand why this was being done to us or why the staff did it, it was especially distressing was a young man being injected in
front of us and dosed up so much his eyeballs looked weird and he was beaten as well. All this in front of us residents, we were scared and no one made any relationships with anyone else because we were so frightened. We would talk occasionally at mealtimes, but that was that. Not all the staff were evil, some were even nice and kind.
The picture shown is how I remember the unit looking, but with proper windows of course.
I would like to invite those of you who have shared a similar experience there to write your story here.
I am not sure how you can add comments yet, but would appreciate advice.
Kind regards,
Patricia
who experienced abuse at Hill End Adolescent Unit.
I will start off giving some history of my life before I came to be at Hill End Hospital.
2 abandoned babies
I came into the world as a baby born to teenage sweethearts, they already had one child, my lovely sister and not long after I was born they split up. I and my sister spent a period of time as babies at my fathers mothers house, my Grandmother, she looked after us and for some reason, we were eventually moved from there due to a quarrel in the family we went to live with my mothers mother, our Grandmother. After 2 weeks she decided she no longer wanted us to live her. We were then shipped off to care homes for the rest of our lives.
Bourne Nursery, Hayes, Middlesex
This was a cold place, lots of cots and tots and all I remember is standing in my cot crying for attention. My Grandparents visited us and father, mother did not want to know us as she had 2 more children with another man.
The only exciting there was having chicken pox and then moving from a cot to a bed so I could be like my big sister. I also had my other companion my black and white panda bear.
Maygoods Lane, Cowley, Middlesex
When I was 4 years old I was sent along with my sister to Maygoods Lane, and I still remember the first day sitting on a stripy bare mattress with panda bear and my sister sitting on the bed next to me. I felt cold and was crying and cuddled my panda bear, really I wanted my big sister to cuddle me, but I don't think she could as she was upset herself.
Foster Care
One day a young lady and gentleman came and took me to live with them and not my sister. I was curious why, but told that it was for the best. I missed my sister even asked for my sister to come and join us, but was told that she had a new home too somewhere else.
One day I was so excited as my Foster parents said they loved me enough to make me their own child and adopt me. However, this was tharwted by my parents and Social Services who refused me this right. I was so upset and we moved house after this and I felt that I would never fit in anywhere. I started to mix with the wrong crowd and ran away twice, my Foster Parents saw this as rejection of them and the relationship broke down.
I was sent to a childrens home in Hayes, Bedwell Gardens and then onto Middlesex Lodge which was a lock up unit and I had horrific experiences there to, I was sent on finally to:-
Hill End Adolescent Unit
This unit was dedicated to Social Services to dump children they could not longer be bothered to help, or at least that was what it felt like.
It was a hospital building with big windows, rooms and doors and I was terrified on my first day. I was told I had to go to a meeting on my second day and this was in huge room full of strangers (other residents) and we were told to tell everyone about ourselves and divulge private family information, which should have been confidential. However, I was frozen numb and did not speak from fear, and I was subsequently sedated for not speaking in the meeting, they gave me this yellow liquid which made your mouth dry, your body heavy and all
you could do was sleep, when you awoke you were heavy headed like a Zombie and this bizarre ritual was carried out every day I was there. I did not understand why this was being done to us or why the staff did it, it was especially distressing was a young man being injected in
front of us and dosed up so much his eyeballs looked weird and he was beaten as well. All this in front of us residents, we were scared and no one made any relationships with anyone else because we were so frightened. We would talk occasionally at mealtimes, but that was that. Not all the staff were evil, some were even nice and kind.
The picture shown is how I remember the unit looking, but with proper windows of course.
I would like to invite those of you who have shared a similar experience there to write your story here.
I am not sure how you can add comments yet, but would appreciate advice.
Kind regards,
Patricia