Autism: How My Autistic Foster Brother Inspired My Life’s Work

Yes, caring can bring so much to any relationships, when it is done as it should be, but it needs a great deal of understanding, flexibility, respect and being so adaptable to whatever occurs and much more, especially putting the person who may need care at the centre of everything.

These skills are essential and not everyone will have them or more than likely not aware that they have them, especially at the start. It is learning from all who are involved, the persons who may need care, the persons providing care and any others.

This was so much with myself for I joined my to be wife’s family in 1984 and knew nothing about any disabilities and not even come really across any persons with disabilities and having no brothers or sisters not even sharing my life with anyone except my own parents. My wife, a single parent looking after 3 children for many years, 2 daughters and one son.

As I joined the family the son was leaving home to be married, leaving the 2 daughters, youngest being 13 and the next 15 being the daughter with disabilities. She had severe learning disabilities and multiple physical and a sensory disabilities. Her communication was very limited, but everyone took to each other very well.

I had a very steep learning curve to climb and took time to understand what was involved and gradually helped in any ways I could. Not only did I not know, initially about disabilities but had no experience in dealing with the respective authorities, so followed my wife’s lead to a major extent. Over time, not really sure how long, but certainly within less than a year I gained the experience to deal with more, even the authorities and with my then wife became a good team in looking after both daughters. As time went on my wife’s health started to deteriorate, most likely due to the pressures of caring over the years, especially being a lone parent. Around 2000 I became aware of Autism and from what I understood with this awareness I was convinced that my disabled daughter was also autistic and eventually managed to obtain an autistic diagnosis. Becoming aware of autism provided many answers to the behaviours being shown and experienced by my daughter with disabilities and I became much better at being able to understand many, if not all of her behaviours, but learning never goes away, for there is always so much more to learn.

Yes, her behaviours could have been challenging, but only because of ignorance in how to correctly assess and then deal with them appropriately.

This was further enhanced when we had to start to engage with carers, as my wife’s health continued to deteriorate and my own starting to do so.

We started by employing our own, which were funded through direct payments from our Local Authority, but we went through many carers until we found and engaged with a few which we could trust and had complete confidence in, not that the others were not competent, but when having people within your own household, being your own home and a place of employment for others much more is required for good employee and employer relationships, let alone the relationships with the person being cared for, which in the most essential.

Eventually, this had to become a 24/7 care package and while retaining the 2 carers we employed directly used a care provider for the rest of the care package. After an initial problem with the original care provider we found another with whom we could work with well and as time went on it worked perfectly, not only did they understand our household they did all they could to find carers that fitted in well. Not always successful, but where not they provided more carers until a great team was found.

Unfortunately my wife died on 26 September 2020 but with the good team of carers the great care was maintained for my daughter and at times they were also looking after me, to some extent, during my own loss.

Even though the care for my daughter was great, due to her disabilities her conditions continued to deteriorate to some degree and health authorities were consulted as and where and when required and this was good too. My daughters wish and my own and my late wife’s were that our daughter lived with us at home and with the great care she was receiving this was how it progressed.

But on 4 October 2022 my daughter succumbed to her deteriorating health and as everyone was so devoted to her, the loss of her was severely felt by everyone.

Even now some 4 months on many of the carers are still in touch with me and we are helping each other to come to terms with our loss.

Over the years I have been using all my experiences gained in being in my family and talking to other carers and their families and use this in my dealing with our local Government and health authouritie and disability charities, being on various committees and some Boards.

Not only am I using my experiences gained, but it is helping myself in dealing with my own losses.

So being involved can and is good for many reasons and even if behaviours can be seen to challenge this should not be seen as a problem to be feared, but problems to understand and deal with appropriately, for we are all experts in our own fields and all need to be seen as such and everyone is or should be part of the team be they paid professionals, family, volunteers and others, but essentially the person at the centre the person in need of care.

In this all will be better cared for, but funding can’t and should never be ignored for both health and social care are left well short of the funds required, perhaps social care even more so than health, in many instances, not only causing insufficiency of services available, but severe staff shortages, and the moral of all concerned.

Funding and sufficient funding to maintain sustainability has to be a major priority and in this the Government needs to listen and fully understand, which is currently not occurring.

But they have to for the sustainability of health and social care services and for the continued lives of persons with disabilities and their families.

Families can only do so much, currently saving the UK £193 billion a year. Carers UK, Yes, caring can bring so much to any relationships, when it is done as it should be, but it needs a great deal of understanding, flexibility, respect and being so adaptable to whatever occurs and much more, especially putting the person who may need care at the centre of everything.

These skills are essential and not everyone will have them or more than likely not aware that they have them, especially at the start. It is learning from all who are involved, the persons who may need care, the persons providing care and any others.

This was so much with myself for I joined my to be wife’s family in 1984 and knew nothing about any disabilities and not even come really across any persons with disabilities and having no brothers or sisters not even sharing my life with anyone except my own parents. My wife, a single parent looking after 3 children for many years, 2 daughters and one son.

As I joined the family the son was leaving home to be married, leaving the 2 daughters, youngest being 13 and the next 15 being the daughter with disabilities. She had severe learning disabilities and multiple physical and a sensory disabilities. Her communication was very limited, but everyone took to each other very well.

I had a very steep learning curve to climb and took time to understand what was involved and gradually helped in any ways I could. Not only did I not know, initially about disabilities but had no experience in dealing with the respective authorities, so followed my wife’s lead to a major extent. Over time, not really sure how long, but certainly within less than a year I gained the experience to deal with more, even the authorities and with my then wife became a good team in looking after both daughters. As time went on my wife’s health started to deteriorate, most likely due to the pressures of caring over the years, especially being a lone parent. Around 2000 I became aware of Autism and from what I understood with this awareness I was convinced that my disabled daughter was also autistic and eventually managed to obtain an autistic diagnosis. Becoming aware of autism provided many answers to the behaviours being shown and experienced by my daughter with disabilities and I became much better at being able to understand many, if not all of her behaviours, but learning never goes away, for there is always so much more to learn.

Yes, her behaviours could have been challenging, but only because of ignorance in how to correctly assess and then deal with them appropriately.

This was further enhanced when we had to start to engage with carers, as my wife’s health continued to deteriorate and my own starting to do so.

We started by employing our own, which were funded through direct payments from our Local Authority, but we went through many carers until we found and engaged with a few which we could trust and had complete confidence in, not that the others were not competent, but when having people within your own household, being your own home and a place of employment for others much more is required for good employee and employer relationships, let alone the relationships with the person being cared for, which in the most essential.

Eventually, this had to become a 24/7 care package and while retaining the 2 carers we employed directly used a care provider for the rest of the care package. After an initial problem with the original care provider we found another with whom we could work with well and as time went on it worked perfectly, not only did they understand our household they did all they could to find carers that fitted in well. Not always successful, but where not they provided more carers until a great team was found.

Unfortunately my wife died on 26 September 2020 but with the good team of carers the great care was maintained for my daughter and at times they were also looking after me, to some extent, during my own loss.

Even though the care for my daughter was great, due to her disabilities her conditions continued to deteriorate to some degree and health authorities were consulted as and where and when required and this was good too. My daughters wish and my own and my late wife’s were that our daughter lived with us at home and with the great care she was receiving this was how it progressed.

But on 4 October 2022 my daughter succumbed to her deteriorating health and as everyone was so devoted to her, the loss of her was severely felt by everyone.

Even now some 4 months on many of the carers are still in touch with me and we are helping each other to come to terms with our loss.

Over the years I have been using all my experiences gained in being in my family and talking to other carers and their families and use this in my dealing with our local Government and health authourities and disability charities, being on various committees and some Boards.

Not only am I using my experiences gained, but it is helping myself in dealing with my own losses.

So being involved can and is good for many reasons and even if behaviours can be seen to challenge this should not be seen as a problem to be feared, but problems to understand and deal with appropriately, for we are all experts in our own fields and all need to be seen as such and everyone is or should be part of the team be they paid professionals, family, volunteers and others, but essentially the person at the centre the person in need of care.

In this all will be better cared for, but funding can’t and should never be ignored for both health and social care are left well short of the funds required, perhaps social care even more so than health, in many instances, not only causing insufficiency of services available, but severe staff shortages, and the moral of all concerned.

Funding and sufficient funding to maintain sustainability has to be a major priority and in this the Government needs to listen and fully understand, which is currently not occurring.

But they have to for the sustainability of health and social care services and for the continued lives of persons with disabilities and their families.

Families can only do so much, currently saving the UK £193 billion a year. Carers UK,

Same Difference

A woman who passed up going to university to care for her autistic foster brother has described how he inspired her to set up her own behavioural therapy centre.

Risca Solomon, from Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, first met Dan when he was four years old.

His previous respite placements had broken down due to his challenging behaviour.

But Ms Solomon, whose parents were foster carers, wanted to help.

“When I first met Dan I was 18 and on work experience at a special school, and he touched my heart,” Ms Solomon said.

“I begged my parents, who’d been foster and respite carers since I was 11, to step in.”

Her parents were reluctant at first due to the level of care Dan would need, something they felt was beyond their level of experience and expertise.

But they agreed after Ms Solomon promised to be one of his primary care givers.

“It changed…

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DfE pledges action on ‘excessive’ workload pressures for children’s social workers – Community Care

The government has pledged action to tackle “excessive” workload pressures on council children’s social workers as part of its response to the care review. The Department for Education said it would set up a national workload action group to identify solutions to “unnecessary” pressures on practitioners, while also promising steps to reduce the burden of […]

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Some good intentions, but I will believe it more when I see actions and even more so appropriate actions, for Government involvement so far as not been that encouraging, perhaps, even more discouraging.

For none of this will be possible without much more funding, which we see this government is not prepared to do and is claiming that the current climate is the reason. But that climate in most areas has been caused by government inactions or inappropriate actions and not by Local Authorities (LAs) and certainly not the workers within those authorities.

The years since 2010 with the introduction of Tory Austerity cuts are to be blamed to a large extent, but also the total inability for all governments to look after social care and even education.

The austerity cuts were supposed to be funded by making savings, but in effect very little savings were there to be made and have been and are being funded by extensive cuts to many services, if not all LA services, by virtually all LAs, if not all of them and with some, so much more so than others.

LAs have been bearing the brunt of all these problems, when in many instances the blame should have been at the doors of the Tory Governments and some others before.

While I so hope all the problems will be solved, I feel not many will be, if any.

 

Source: DfE pledges action on ‘excessive’ workload pressures for children’s social workers – Community Care

Rishi Sunak told care system at risk of collapse if workers not paid as much as nurses

Well, I am astounded, as I have been saying care workers should be paid equally to nurses for quite some years and now we have Damian Green, the former First Secretary of State saying so also. But, most care workers only earn the National Living Wage of 9.50 per hour, and to earn £23000 per year the rate for a 37.50-hour week would need to be around £11.80. Even that would not be enough for has been said they should be earning around £14/15 per hour, equivalent to some supermarket workers for much fewer responsibilities and less technical abilities.But, care workers are said to be unskilled, which is so far from the truth as to be effective and efficient they need much skill for it is not just giving personal care, they need empathy, understanding ability to work on their own without supervision while respecting the choices of the person receiving care. In many instances, the care visit could be just 15-30mins leaving very little time to toilet, wash and dress and prepare meals, and many other activities, including shopping, washing and ironing clothing and bed linen, and much more. To do caring properly it is a very skilled occupation and care workers need to be respected more not only by the government but the media and the population of the UK. While most care workers are employed by the private sector some are directly employed by the person receiving care and funded by Direct Payments which come from Local Authorities, (LAs) who also provide the funding to the care providers employing the care workers. These are the same LAs who have been subjected to austerity cuts by the Tory Governments over, at least the last 10 years or more.But, really no Government has looked favorably on Social Care ever. This lack of Government attention is causing much of the current problems within the NHS due to insufficient Social Care being available to discharge hospital patients when nursing care is not required but some form of care is still required, maybe for a short time. Many more care workers are required many more than can be available from the current UK workforce, so non-UK workers are desperately required, but the immigration policies are not fully allowing them.Yes, little amounts of funding for social care has been announced but it is so too little for any significant help to solve all the problems, therefore Social care will continue to disintegrate and the NHS will also continue to stay in a major crisis.

Source: Rishi Sunak told care system at risk of collapse if workers not paid as much as nurses

The Family Of Six In A One-Bedroom Flat Due To Inaccessible Social Housing

The housing market in the UK is far from good and even more so in respect of Social housing for many reasons

1. social housing stock has, over many hyears been reduced through the ‘right to buy’ scheme where social housing tennents were given the right to buy on a much lower price than the current market value dependent on how long the family have resided in the property, but Local Authorities, (LAs) were not allowed to use the resulting income from the sale of the property to buld replacement stocks

2. UK social housing stock is generally old, so not as acceptable to conditions of today, especially with regards to accessiblity and other aspects in regards to disabilities, but also many others such as use of energy and suitability of current climates

3. lack of available funding at LAs due to, at least 10 years of austerity cuts to Government grants to LAs, plus increased costs related to COVID, in a very changing market. This is not only reflecting on social housing, but many other LA resourses such as, education, social care and many others

4. too long timescales toprovide required adjustments and alterations and adaptations

5. state of repair of much social housing as repairs have not been done, effectively, sufficiently and within required timescales, leading t many social housing properties to be in a poor state causing many areas relating to causes of very poor health of tennents residing in them

When a family needs improved and more suitable accomodation is it required immediately and not in a year or years time as to do so puts more stress, and inconvenience on alrady very stressful and inconvenienced families so adding much more to problems within their lives.

This was not satisfactory years ago and even more so now, but this Government and may previous Governments have and are being shown to behave like the ‘3 wise monkeys‘, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’.

This is a major crisis, in addition to all the other major crisises within the UK and should never have been allowed to occur, but mismanagement or, in reality, no management by UK Governments for more years than there should have been, out of sight, out of mind, except for those of the population who are directly concerned, but Governments who are not and never will be concerned.

Same Difference

A family of six have been living in a one-bedroom flat because the social housing they were assigned was inaccessible to their disabled child.

Seven-year-old Joel Verala uses a wheelchair and is fed by a tube due to quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

The house has three bedrooms but the family have been told the adaptations he needs could take a year.

Croydon Council said it had always informed the family the work would take “some months to complete”.

Joel’s mum, Souskay Verala, describes her son as a “happy boy” on the BBC Access All podcast.

“He likes stories read to him, he loves his siblings playing around him, as well as walks outside,” she says.

The family – Souskay, her husband and three children – were excited to be offered the three-bedroom council property in March having lived in a small flat for the previous six years.

But, though the…

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My baby was taken into care – then murdered – BBC News

Laura Corkill’s son Leiland-James was put in care from birth – and killed by the woman who wanted to adopt him.

============================================It is my belief this is not the full story, but not sure from whom.

Laura’s past has certainly been very troubled, but it appears due to an abusive partner and not Laura, but it appears all the blame is being heaped on Laura, with insufficient understanding and maybe a willingness not to from Cumbria County Council.

Yes, Cumbria County Council have a ‘Duty of Care’ for baby Leiland-James, but, also for Laura and from what is said in the article insufficient Duty of Care for Laura has been seen.

Councils are dammed if they do and if they don’t and hindsight could show things could have been done differently. Unfortunately, all councils ate overburdened with work a severe insufficiency of social workers and certainly funding, which is done to this Government and many previous Government.

But, from the initial social worker, it appears Laura was lead to believe that she would be allowed to care for her new baby, with the support of Aishea Drysder, from Women Out West. Also both Laura and Aishea were not informed of any changes or developments by Cumbria CC.

There is no mention of any multi Agency reviews and so it appears these changes were down to the second appointed social worker and there is no mention why the case was taken away from the initial social worker.

This complete lack of communication is extremely deplorable, and is a reason why social services are viewed in a ‘poor light’.

This case and the decisions made is even more debateable when this is taken into account ‘It was 2019, and over the following year, she would try to get him back. But just days after his first birthday, the woman – who social workers had placed him with – murdered him.’

So, it appears that baby Leiland-James was not fully safeguarded and with hindsight, it could well have been better to allow Laura to look after baby Leiland-James with the support in place.

Both baby Leiland-James and Laura have been severely let down by Cumbria CC and also Aishea from Women Out West to some extent.

Laura wasn’t involved in the subsequent murder trial and she wasn’t involved in Cumbria County Council’s review into his death, it is no wonder that she feels silenced. Having her first children taken from her, then her new baby Leiland-James and not being kept informed of subsequent events will be completely devastating to Laura and could well cause some major mental problems for some time, if not ever.

Her trust, if ever there will be no longer there re Cumbria CC, but do they care, we will never know.

There is the severe underfunding issue, severe deficiency of social workers leading to those there being so over worked and under great pressures themselves, but that should never be used as an excuse for measures taken and not taken as Duty of Care should supersede these and they have their duty to adhere to.

It is now too late to right the wrongs which occurred to Laura and baby Leiland-James, but not to ensure Laura is being well looked after, however how long belatedly.

Cumbria CC need to acknowledge their own accountability in this, but so does this Government as services can’t be conducted on ‘shoestring budgets’ which this Government is asking all Councils to do and not only Councils.

So Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss what have you to say. I would have said Boris also, but who cares about Boris, except for Boris and perhaps his wife Carrie.

 

Source: My baby was taken into care – then murdered – BBC News

Disabled People Feel Priced Out Of Existence By Rising Cost Of Living

This Government and many previous Governments by their actions and even inactions, show that they do not care about disabled people, no matter what they say, as actions speak louder than words.

There are many problems which disabled people have to encounter and many are not covered by current legislation being the Equality Act 2010, https://www.facebook.com/southyorkshirepolice/photos/a.468321323096/10157791280883097/?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZUvaZGGRgKIYwsGr3ciNtRap9atuI4gfcbANohWzkgLCVYdeMbWNGtlCwTOzLhG5BPmNaVUlOVyeKqUfhjgzqDsMwQmwYxDBcVACqhJqYcrn9U-2yMIY2OQBH-r3EGA1udmoF1dh-P1Op_tb2jpGRDEBdt8Z71knJziqUooZmd70A&__tn__=EH-y-R.

It was not sufficient in 2010, but it was hoped it was a start, but now is even way more not sufficient.

Welfare benefits go some way to cover the costs to be equal and should not be judged as extra cash which is not used, as disability does increase the costs in endeavouring to live a reasonable life and certainly not a luxury life, which some people and organisation believe.

As when accessing social care persons are expected to contribute, but although there are Financial assessments these assessments don’t take into every account of costs involved in living a life. It is always you need to contribute, without any real investigation whether you can really afford to do so, as the system is there without any concpet of individual circumstances. There is much talk of ‘person-centred care, but in practice it is not really the centre, which it should be as the system is invariably the centre and systems don’t take individuals into account, just being a number in the system.

But, in effect this Government does not wish to recognise disablity let alone persons with disabilities. In fact, I tend to belo=ieve that this Government goes out of its way to ignore persons with disabilities to the extent that they would rather they not be there and then money will not need to be spent on them.

Same Difference

Sitting in her specially adapted bedroom, 15-year-old Ruby Walsh breathes slowly through a nebuliser, which covers her nose and mouth.

The teenager, who is deaf and blind, has cerebral palsy, and this is just one of the pieces of medical equipment needed to keep her alive.

But her need for a nebuliser, along with a ventilator and an oxygen concentrator, is pushing up her family’s energy bills at a time when money is already tight.

The cost of living squeeze means the family, who live in Basildon, Essex, have already seen their energy bills rise from £175 to £225 a month. They are reimbursed for the oxygen concentrator, but everything else comes out of the household budget.

Energy bills are set to rise even further after the energy cap rises on 1 April.

‘We just want a simple life’

Ruby is terminally ill and her mum, Charlotte Huzzey, wants…

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Under my leadership, Labour’s commitment to Nato is unshakable | Keir Starmer | The Guardian

Our party was foundational in forming the postwar alliance, which – as Ukraine shows – remains essential today, says Labour leader Keir Starmer

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That is all well and good, but it goes deeper than that for NATO is not there as an attacking force, as muted by Putin, but at times the American influence does muddy the water. As it should be seen as a defence force and peacekeeper, in some respects as the UN forces, but, unfortunately, the UN is relatively inoperable not only due to the American influence, but also to that of Russia and China, so the UN Security Council is far from it.

But NATO can be misused due to American influence and the puppet attitude of some, at least former UK Governments. Unfortunately, Prime Ministers do not use their power as they should do, as was evident with Blair and his ‘weapons of mass destructions within 45 mins’, for which he didn’t really suffer any punishment for and went on to make more fortune in his life after his premiership. Let’s do hope that Boris does not follow this lead with his ‘No. 10 Parties.

In forming NATO it could have been better created and as the NHS is great, it could or should have been better funded as should Social Care, which should have been and still should be included as an integral part of the NHS.

Politics and world affairs are no way what they should be, so lets do hope that Putin’s actions are not the end of the World and he sees sense and does not invade Ukraine.

Source: Under my leadership, Labour’s commitment to Nato is unshakable | Keir Starmer | The Guardian

Austerity in England linked to more than 50,000 extra deaths in five years | Public sector cuts | The Guardian

Researchers looked at 2010-2015 when Cameron cuts to NHS and social care were starting to bite

 

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This was inevitable, as the austerity cuts made Local Authorities and Health Authorities to make savings due to the cuts where savings could not realistically be made, so essential services were being run on a ‘shoe string’ and then the next and next and next, etc, meant that the shoe string was getting shorter and shorter.

If you had money then the cuts really did not touch you greatly, but for the masses who don’t have money, many only having an income which is just sufficient and with some not even sufficient, it touched them greatly.

So for those you could least afford it suffered the worst and are still doing so. The Prim e Minister Boris Johnson talks about leveling up, but he keeps saying this but has no idea what it means. For to level up the resources which have been taken away since 2010 need to be returned and then more. For even in 2010 the levels were not correct, and many were below the levels. To put right money needs to be invested in all areas which are insufficient and it will not be cheap.

A start would be to fund Social Care and then health so that all you need care can reasonably get it without having to think where the money is coming from. For Social Care needs to be funded just as the NHS is thereby making it free on the point of delivery, which it should always have been.

This was a major mistake in 1948 for then Social Care and health should have been looked at as one and be managed together, with public health included.

As it was health was looked after, but not social care, even though they were inter-related.

So, the paltry amounts that the Prime Minister announced some weeks ago fell way short of what is actually required and social care will by doing so will always be the poor relation as care services go.

So due to insufficient funding deaths will continue to soar due to the severe lack of care services.

 

Source: Austerity in England linked to more than 50,000 extra deaths in five years | Public sector cuts | The Guardian

Ministers to crack down on overprescription of medicines on the NHS | The Independent

Government-commissioned review finds 10 per cent of drugs prescribed by primary care doctors are not wanted or needed

 

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This may or may not be true, for we can only know if we see how this conclusion was reached.

For medications are given to individuals and like all individuals we could all experience problems in many different ways.

Unfortunately the NHS does not treat people as individuals, especially in these times of non-face to face consultations. and then the problems in getting repeat consultations when needed. This is the same for both GP and hospital consultations.

They all treat the condition in a ‘one fits all’ approach, instead of a ‘person centred ‘ approach. Also and especially hospitals treat conditions in isolation, but many have multiple conditions and with GPs and some extent hospitals appointments are time time related., otherwise the appointment system get out of line and appointment times are then not met if appointment times are exceeded.

But, if you have more than one issue when seeing a GP and want to relate to your list, the GP could well say, just give me the top of your list and we will discuss the rest on your next appointment, and that is a major problem for when will that next appointment be, certainly not the next day or even the next week could be weeks or months. Even getting through to a GP surgery is a major exercise for it could take time to get even in a queue and then wait to be connected to the receptionists, to be then told all that days appointment haver been taken, no offer for any face to face for the appointments referred to are telephone appointments. It was said sometime ago that going on 80% of a GP consultation was from the patient and not any GP checks, but with a telephone appointment the only vehicle of communication is voice, no understanding of tone, body language and any other observations, so again the appointment is somewhat not sufficient.

As I said, even with a face to face you are usually restricted to around 10 mins, which gives no time for many patient to mention all they wish too and a patient is not an expert of medical issues only on their body and how they are feeling, much of which can’t be expressed over the phone.

Yes, GPs are over worked and there are too few of then, but don’t we all have stressed lives and who is to say how much effort it took a patient to try and get an appointment in the first place, is there any wonder why A&Es are so busy these days, as patients will mainly take going to A&E and suffer the long waits there for they know they will be seen, but again by an overworked, mainly junior doctor, not saying they are not fully trained, but long hours can lead to mistakes being made and they are made and one mistake is one too many.

The NHS has been underfunded for many years, but then so as Social Care which is another story, but as equally important, if not more so.

Money is not everything, for there has been much Government interventions into the NHS and mainly not for the better. Care of any nature is more than likely to be long term and costly.

Don’t get me wrong for we in the UK are extremely lucky to have the NHS, and I bless the Labour Government in the 40s for all their work and will to create the NHS in 1948. But in those days Doctors and Dentists and the BMA were not fully in favour of the NHS, as I am lead to believe they did not wish to lose their access to their private practices, so a compromise was reached. This was on the lines that if they agreed to be brought into the NHS not as employees, but as self employed they could retain their private practices and still work for the NHS. So even tough they are contracted to be in the NHS it is the practice and not the individual doctors. So they can withdraw from the NHS if they wish and still work on  private patients, which many |Dentists have done, so creating many problems for |NHS Dentistry, in that there is a very serious lack of capacity in NHS Dentistry, as so many people are experiencing in not being able to find an NHS dentist, and then afford it, for Dentistry was removed for ‘free at the point of delivery’ many years ago, although the NHS payment is subsidised through the NHS.

|Both the N HS and also Social Care need to be fully funded, but that takes money and one of then should not be left short to fund the other. This is not the fault solely of this Government, but of many previous Governments who have left the NHS somewhat underfunded and even more so, Social Care,  latter even true today, in fact very true and the question is will both be able to survive, especially social care, for the current lack of social care is already having an effect on the over use of the |N HS and if it were to get worse,which it is every day, or even disappear, the NHS would not be able to cope and that would mean disastrous consequences for all who need these services and have no ability to pay.

So urgent action is still required and the announcement a few weeks ago was way to little and way too late.

So medication is but one problem in many others. But I would not just say there is over prescription, which in some instances there will be, especially in some instances of antibiotics and in some anti depression. But please before any thing is done view the patient and not just the assumed overt prescribing.

 

 

Source: Ministers to crack down on overprescription of medicines on the NHS | The Independent

Start reform of social care now – open letter to the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Secretary of State for Health & Social Care from social care leaders

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Start reform of social care now – open letter to the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Secretary of State for Health & Social Care from social care leaders

I support this Open Letter and urge you to do so also.

Social Care has been in crisis for way too long and this Government and all previous Governments have totally ignored the continuing decline in Social Care, mainly due to lack of long term sustainable financing.

It is the poor relation of health, but they are both inter-related, for insufficient social care means that the call on health resourses will be greater.

Before COVID there was a need for much better financing, but COVID has only made it much worse.

This can’t be ignored any longer and immediate action has to be taken now. So please support by sharing