Recently I was in London for a Forum for the Long term NHS Plan
I travelled down by train and took a taxi to Church House behind Westminster Abbey.
On stage the panel were Age UK NHS England and the Forum was made up of people representing many different conditions.
Also there from the Alzheimer’s Society, 3 Nations Dementia Working Group, Steering Group were Jayne and Chris Roberts, George Rook and Hannah Fitzgibbon.
We had round table discussions and opportunities to question the panel.
In the afternoon we had the opportunity to talk to Matt Hancock the Health Secretary.
Chris Roberts, Hannah Fitzgibbon, Matt hancock and myself talking at one of the tables and Jayne Roberts and George Rook were at other tables.
There was plenty of agreement not just from those of us representing Dementia but other chronic terminal diseases and disabilities as well.
The important thing to come out of the day was the overwhelming need for post diagnosis support for all conditions/diseases and that the Long Term NHS Plan should have a mandatory minimum level of post diagnosis support that the CCGs cannot cherry pick, support some conditions more than others and prolong the post code lottery of care.
The interim report comes out at the beginning of November just as Sir Philip Alston begins his UN investigation into Poverty and Disabilities in the UK and a full announcement is due in March 2019.
As with any plan reader, the devil is in the detail.
When The Fog Lifts 