I didn't know where to turn
"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
"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."
"It's knowing where to go and getting into the system. When my dad got dementia and he couldn't be at home because my stepmother just couldn't cope with him, to get him in a care home and to get him fully funded was a complete nightmare. You're dealing with so...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."
"Maybe there's a charity out there that could help me, or something that I haven't looked into. But if I haven't, it's because I didn't know about it. It was something else for me to look into and find out about myself rather than me saying ‘I need help’ and...read more
"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
"From my experience, and from the experience of some of my friends with elderly relatives, the big thing that everyone says is that they wish they knew what was on offer and what paths they should go down."
