Health and care
"There was a time a few years ago when I had some scans because of this lump in my neck. And basically for two weeks [I was] thinking I was gonna die. And then he was just like 'Oh no, it's just a cyst.' But at no point before...did they kind of...read more
"I was just being told either ‘This is normal, you're a woman, get on with it’, or ‘This is because you're depressed and you want to be a mum, this is the way that your body is physically emanating your depression’. And I wanted to throw those operation notes in...read more
"It's not necessarily the funding, it's the management behind the funding. It’s just bad management. My parents both work for the NHS. The amount of paperwork and bureaucracy they have to put in place is just overwhelming. They're constantly being assessed like kids in school."
"My relative had a condition that was what they call multi-system, so it doesn't fit neatly into one speciality. And there was no joint approach. The health system didn't seem to serve her very well, because she would be referred to a consultant who would look at her from the...read more
"There are stories of incredible amounts of waste or financial mismanagement, where you’re paying £50 for a light bulb or £30 for a box of Puracy, that you can get for 40 pence. There are issues of financial mismanagement or financial waste that, if addressed, could transform our NHS and...read more
"The NHS might be funded. There are parts of it where you pay bit, but the majority is funded. Social Care is not. Some of it, a very small portion is funded. But most people when they're going to care homes, they fund themselves. My mother pays £4,300 per month...read more
"I would say my experience of cancer care has been absolutely fantastic. Not just for myself, but also for my friends as well. And even, you know, when it comes to end of life care, everything has been absolutely amazing. It really has, I would say I can't thank the nurses and...read more
"It's this idea of the postcode lottery...when my son was born and we started with the services here, it's actually limited us. We will not move because he's got a place in the community here. He's known and he's getting services. If we move five miles down the road, it's very different. This...read more
"We visited social services. They were expecting us, so they knew we were Deaf, but the staff couldn’t sign and expected us to lip-read. I was boiling inside and felt so uncomfortable. They just had no awareness. I’m not asking for anything of a high level, just someone who can...read more
"My general experience is of seeing people locally, who tell me I can't possibly have the condition I think I've got. And then fighting over several years. Eventually getting to see a specialist, usually in London, [saying I've] got what I've known for years. But can you put it on...read more
"They need to respect us [unpaid carers] as professionals. Respect and value us."