Articles
"Why can't we have that system for continuous social care when you need it, rather than having these instances that are just too distressing to witness? And usually at a time when the partner is also vulnerable and ageing, and they don't know where to turn."
"I remember a few years ago my father had been in hospital. He'd lost his mobility. And he couldn't go back home and and live on his own. But, luckily, at that point he was able to get a place in an Intermediate Care establishment and he was there for a few...read more
"One of the things that worries me about health and social care is how it's owned. It seems to me there are fewer care homes that are owned by the old sort of owner occupier, who would look after them. A lot of them are pretty big companies that own...read more
"Things have gradually been going downhill with personal budgets and the understanding of personal budgets, compared to the old system of direct payments... we all know the local authorities have their own internal policies that they follow. And they're not always abiding by the letter of the law. And they...read more
"I'd like to see much better management within the hospitals, more linkages between all the different departments and a lot less waste of money. I think there's a lot of wastage."
"I know someone who died of cancer because she was unable to get any appointments anywhere. She took herself to A&E and ended up in hospice a couple of weeks later and dying."
"[If] a family suddenly had to step in, which caused problems with their work, there just wasn't any help available whatsoever. Very sad, but that's the way it was. And I would phone 20 to 40 homes, trying to get help."
"Since the pandemic, a lot of young people will need to access CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services). Even on an emergency note from the GP, they're still waiting four and a half months later for an appointment. And that's somebody who was deemed at risk. "
"My friend had an issue with migraines when we were at school. She used to get them really, really badly. She just had to be in bed all day. And when she went to the doctor, she got quite patronised by this male doctor. And he was telling her off...read more
"I think now we're at a point with the NHS where it's stretched to breaking point because it's had probably 10 to 15 years of underinvestment. And the cracks are showing. "