Fears over Grenfell Tower fire victims' mental health
A survivor tells Sky News he feels "trapped somewhere" amid concerns victims' mental health is being overlooked by authorities.
Sunday 2 July 2017 09:33, UK
A community leader has told Sky News some victims of the Grenfell fire are "locking themselves in hotel rooms", amid concerns over the level of mental health support being offered.
Those affected by the tragedy have each been assigned a key worker, whose primary focus is to help with rehousing.
But there are concerns victims who have now been rehoused are not receiving adequate mental health care.
Nagla El-Imlahi, a community leader helping victims in hotels, told Sky News there has been a lack of proactive support.
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She said: "I know people who've lost loved ones who've not been able to speak to anyone.
"Even though the offer is there, they (counsellors) need to be in the hotel with these victims.
"There has to come a point when we all act as human beings. People are distraught, people are locking themselves in hotels."
Sid-Ali Atmani, who lived on the 15th floor of Grenfell Tower, managed to escape with his wife and 10-year-old daughter.
He and his family have been living out of a suitcase in a west London hotel since the fire.
Mr Atmani told Sky News the blaze has left him and his family feeling like "we don't have a future".
He said: "I can't sleep, I can't, there's no way. The voices, the faces of my neighbours, I can't.
"I'm trapped, somewhere. My soul is there in that building, I don't think my soul is here with me, it's there with them."
Counselling has been offered by the Red Cross at the Westway Sports Centre in west London as part of the official response.
The charity says it has carried out "some outreach" work in the local community.
In a statement, it said: "The Red Cross has been providing psycho-social support… though different to counselling, all of our volunteers are especially trained and experienced in extremely traumatic situations such as the Tunisia beach attack.
"They are on hand to provide confidential support and advice to residents and families."