Health and care
"As long as someone who lives down the road in the poorest area cannot afford to pay for the most expensive private care which is available, they're missing something. Someone is getting specialised care or specialised support that the other person is not getting. So that imbalance remains. "
"I think sometimes some of this lack of communication, or good communication, can come out of people who have been working shift after shift back-to-back. And not every patient is a nice patient. People working on a Friday and Saturday have to put up with some of the most horrific...read more
"I had two members of my family in the same care home. At the risk of sounding political, and this is not meant to, my uncle was getting everything for free. But my auntie was having to pay £800 a week. I personally struggled with that. They are literally in...read more
"Maybe you're worried about his teeth. [With] absolutely everything, you have to start from a zero base. So I'll say, 'Well, I think he needs a blood test.' [They say] 'I'll give you a form.' You can't get a blood test anywhere locally. Because it has to be done by a professional person. You can't get...read more
"My experience of health and social care is as an outpatient in my local neurological unit. I had an assessment to social care shortly before lockdown. I was told I was not eligible for support, which didn't surprise me. I made it clear that I wasn't prepared to adjust my...read more
"If you can't advocate for yourself, you don't get adequate health care. And that's as brief as I can put it."
"The Covid pandemic, for some areas of the NHS – like my department – has actually made work life better. Because you actually have more time allocated for patients. Because you've got additional time for your decontamination between patients and things like that. And just have a second in between...read more
"People take on caring roles because they have to. We don't chose to become carers. Communities are suffering because of a lack of investment in jobs, houses and infrastructure. Having flexibility at work is vital to combine my caring role with work. I'd like a break and don't want to...read more
"There are not enough learning disability nurses."
"When I started, when I was a nursing assistant doing my training, I could spend an hour one to one with my patients on the ward. And now you'd be lucky to have 10 minutes with somebody."
"In my area, until very recently, we had no post diagnostic support for adults with autism at all. You can go and get a diagnosis, and that will be that. You get a leaflet."
"There are a lot of old people who don't have anyone. They come into hospital and they do not have anyone who can speak for them. And that's a scary position to be in."