MENTAL health services failed a man who is severely ill and addicted to drugs, according to a Sutton resident.

Basil Simon is helping a young relative who has paranoid schizophrenia and has been abusing drugs since he was nine to escape voices in his head.

But Mr Simon said the health system ignored his advice, excluded him from decision making, did not communicate its decisions and has not properly understood his relative’s illness.

He said his family member, who he asked not to be identified, was left to “spiral out of control”.

“I’ve predicted what will go wrong if the trust does something, they do it anyway, and what I’ve predicted then happens,” he said.

“They are underfunded, understaffed and are not joining the dots between mental illness and addiction.”

Mr Simon, who is a singer, producer, composer and musical life coach, said his family member was admitted to Airedale’s Fern Ward last October. But instead of being sectioned as Mr Simon said he should have been, he was admitted on a voluntary basis.

Mr Simon said this meant he left the ward, got £100 worth of cocaine, and fell into debt to a drug dealer.

He said a nurse tried to send his relative home, to be checked up on via a weekly visit, a move which was only halted when Mr Simon challenged it.

He said the trust arranged for his relative to live alone in a flat, despite being told he could not handle it and would return to drugs.

Mr Simon said that was exactly what happened, and his family member then assaulted a security guard after being caught shoplifting.

He said in late March this year his relative’s condition worsened, forcing him back to hospital.

He was given a Section 2 order for 28 days and taken to Fern Ward, but Mr Simon said although he warned his relative had become dangerously “fixated” on another patient the trust could not stop him attacking that patient.

His relative was transferred to Lynfield Mount, Bradford. Mr Simon said he was then excluded from a consultation which led to his family member being released again.

He said half an hour after he was released, his family member travelled to Keighley where he became high on either illegal drugs or alcohol.

Mr Simon said he has approached MP Julian Smith, who he added had promised to take his concerns to the Health Secretary.

Mr Simon said he has identified a condition he has dubbed CLDS (Clean Living Deficit Syndrome), explaining: “This is experienced by people like my relative who’ve no memory of ever living drug free.

“It’s far and above the regular challenges of an addict. A CLDS sufferer requires drugs like we require water. I need to hear from family members of people suffering CLDS to further validate it.

“I want the Mental Health Act changed, CLDS to be investigated and a specialist new unit established for this condition.” People interested in supporting Mr Simon can call 01535 630109 to contact him.

Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust responded: “Due to patient confidentiality we’re unable to comment on individual cases.

“However, we encourage patients, service users and carers to tell us when they are not happy with our services, either by talking to the services directly or contacting our patient advice and complaints department, to help us continually improve.”

“We’d like to give our reassurances that any issues that are raised very seriously.”