BMA - NHS patients tell their stories in new BMA publication - 07 Apr 09

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From beating cancer or drug addiction, to losing weight or living with chronic pain, NHS patients tell their stories in a BMA publication out today (Tuesday 7 April, 2009).

'Partners in Care' features 18 case studies which demonstrate the range of positive changes consultants, GPs and other NHS staff can make to people’s lives, and the new services doctors are developing to benefit their patients.

The publication is based on interviews with patients and doctors from across the UK, including:

• Renez Charlesworth, who lost ten stone with the help of Dr Matthew Capehorn’s weight management clinic in Rotherham
• David Mitchell, who overcame addiction to heroin, crack, and alcohol with assistance from the Milton Keynes Drug and Alcohol Centre run by consultant Dr Vasco Fernandes
• Dr Grant Ingrams, who helped Coventry woman Susan Dakin identify that her medical conditions, including blindness and paralysis, were the result of a mental rather than physical problem
• Sheridan Richardson, who pays tribute to Mrs Jaan Panesar, the consultant surgeon in Luton whom he credits with saving his life
• Dr Gillian Rice, who discusses ‘Never too late to create’ – a project at her Bristol surgery that helps people deal with mental health problems through art and poetry
• The Gilchrist family in Middlesex talk about the support they get from Dr Sunil Raheja, who has helped them look after their daughter Clare, who lives with epilepsy, facial deformity and learning difficulties

Commenting on ' Partners in Care', Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of Council at the BMA, says:

• “The strong relationship between doctor and patient is the cornerstone of the quality care of which the NHS is justifiably proud.
• “These stories typify the commitment of NHS staff, and the lasting difference they can make - reducing pain, improving lives and often saving them. The fact that these encounters go on up and down the UK every day in thousands of surgeries and hospitals is one of the largely unsung triumphs of the NHS.
• “They are stories of true hope and achievement, exemplifying what the social solidarity of the NHS should be all about.”

Local copy of 'Partners in Care'

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