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"When people drop out of mental health care this shouldn't be seen as the fault of the person dropping out. It should be seen as a red flag, and the NHS should actively work towards re-engaging them."
"We see that in the mental health system, it’s a similar situation. It isn't when somebody is really very acutely, mentally ill. The experience of the provision of care at that point is often extremely good. But as you drop down from that really acute crisis point into slightly less...read more
"You can't share any information, they don't even have access to the same systems. The NHS system doesn't talk to the council system."
"From my local council, we did get a certain amount of support, but we had to fight for it. And the thing is, when it starts off with the doctor, you need a certain amount of help. Where do we get the help from? We were pointed in the right...read more
"When the first lockdown started, I was okay for a bit. But unfortunately my grandmother suffers from cognitive impairment. And she will press her little button to say, ‘I need help.’ You help her, you then go back, and a few moments later she presses the button again, and asks...read more
"I have a recent example. A single lady with a 50-year-old disabled child who had numerous difficulties, I’m just her friend. Even though I tried to help her as much as I could, she was struggling in terms of getting social services to give her extra support. And I'm at...read more
"I, too, lost a mother to dementia six years ago now, and went through all the horrors of finding the right care home."
"It's about knowing what's out there and that those things are funded. Because even if you find something but it's not funded or it's got limited funds, you're going to fold early on in your search. So yes, there's lots of stuff out there, if you can find it. Signposting...read more
"It really worries me that if you're not energetic, articulate and determined - and at times forceful. If you can’t advocate or have someone else advocate for what you need, then you're just left to fall between the cracks."
"When we got the budget I asked about further services, the social worker didn’t even know the services. I asked if maybe I could get a list of services. But no, I was just left with that."
"We [the ambulance service] take less than 50% of our patients anywhere. A lot of the time we're dealing with patients in their own homes, and it's about navigating the system for them and putting them in touch with the right person to help them. Whether that's referring them back...read more
"And if you're not tapped into the system, and you're not in the right place at the right time talking to the right person, you don't get the information that you need. That would be my biggest downside with the interactions through my parents that I've had with the NHS....read more