Be kind to yourself and others, Mental Health Awareness Week starts on Monday
The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week, which begins on the 18th of May, next Monday, is kindness.
The Mental Health Foundation, which runs the week, picked kindness because of its power to strengthen relationships, develop community, and deepen solidarity.
MHF’s research shows that protecting our mental health will be central to our ability to cope and recover from the COVID19 pandemic. And it believes there is a strong link between mental health and kindness.
At the Patients Association we agree that isolation can be damaging to our mental health and that kindness can work magic. If you are struggling with self-isolation we’ve some ideas on how to cope on our website.
Learn about self-management of your health condition
The goal of self-management is to help people with long-term conditions to take control of their treatment. And it’s the subject of our latest advice leaflet available to download from our website now.
Self-management doesn’t replace the care and support you receive from your medical team. But patients with long-term health conditions see their doctors and nurses for less than four hours a year, so being to manage your health on your own is important.
Self-management is for people with physical or mental health conditions. It involves finding out more about your condition, learning new skills to help you manage your health, and working in partnership with your health team.
If you’d like to learn more about self-management, its potential benefits, and how to start, take a look at our leaflet.
Call for patient participants: ICHOM Standard Set for COVID-19
Today, hospital rankings are based primarily on basic clinical indicators, such as mortality and infection rates, and on reputation. The International Consortium for Health Outcome Measures (ICHOM) is seeking to develop a new approach, that captures the outcomes that matter most to patients.
ICHOM are now launching a working group to develop a standard set of outcomes for COVID-19. They are looking for patients to join this working group, because the patient voice is crucial for ICHOM Standard Sets. They are currently in the process of forming and quickly finalizing their working group to launch the set as quickly as possible due to the pandemic's severity and fast-paced nature. If you are interested in joining their efforts please contact c.nielsen@ichom.org.
What has changed in your healthcare during lockdown?
While there have been slight adjustments to the lockdown (see below), we know many of you will only be partway through 12 weeks of shielding.
We’d like to know if, during shielding, you’ve been able to access health and treatment? Are you still seeing the health professionals and carers who usually support you? Has the care shifted to online contact and do you find that effective?
The survey is anonymous and your answers will help us build a picture of how lockdown has affected people with ongoing health conditions and disabilities. We’ll use the information to ensure that the nation doesn’t overlook the needs of patients who don’t have COVID19.
The Government has slightly eased some of the lockdown rules in England – but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are maintaining their previous rules and advice.
In England the most substantial changes relate to outdoors activity. This is now largely unrestricted, provided you observe social distancing at all times. The overall guidance remains to stay at home except for essential trips or outdoors activity, and the relaxation on outdoors activity has not been made in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
In all parts of the UK, seeking medical help or visiting the pharmacy are legitimate reasons to go outside.
Jennifer* called our helpline with concerns that her late mother’s GP had missed symptoms of the cancer that she eventually died from.
Jennifer explained that her mother had been experiencing various symptoms over a period of at least six months before she died and had seen her GP about them. However, her GP believed the symptoms were the side-effects of her medication.
Eventually, Jennifer’s mother was admitted to hospital where she was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer. She died shortly after that.
Jennifer’s main concern was that the GP had failed to take her mother’s symptoms seriously, and therefore did not diagnose the bowel cancer in time for treatment to be effective.
We directed Jennifer to our online, downloadable advice leaflet, How To Make A Complaint, and talked her through how the NHS complaints process is working during the coronavirus outbreak (complaints are still being recorded, but NHS Trusts have more flexibility on whether they launch investigations immediately).
The helpline also advised Jennifer to contact the CQC about her mother’s care and set out how she could do that.
We also told her how to make a complaint to the General Medical Council about the GP and signposted her to where information on our website about how to do this.
*Name changed for privacy.
To share your experiences with our helpline team, call 0800 3457115 between 9.30am and 5pm on weekdays or email helpline@patients-association.com. See our website for more ways to get in touch.
Our vision is that health and social care will be delivered in a way that meets every person’s health and social care needs.
Our mission is to give effect to the patient voice, to improve patient experience and support people to engage fully in their own care. Find out more about our values on our website.
The Patients Association is a registered charity in England and Wales (1006733). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (02620761)
Registered address: P Block, Northwick Park Hospital, The North West Hospitals NHS Trust, Watford Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 3YJ
