Dorothy’s Story
“The stress of it all has been a problem as my family hasn’t been able to visit
as often, but I do have good neighbours.”
Dorothy has Rheumatoid Arthritis and a hole at the back of the eye. Due to the strain on the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic, Dorothy is one of many local people in Kirklees who has had routine care delayed.
Since 2020 Dorothy has not seen anyone from the Rheumatism Clinic. “I usually have regular blood tests at the doctor’s surgery. I think this has been delayed due to Covid but I am having it tomorrow.”
Dorothy is concerned about occasionally losing her balance and has not had outpatient appointments for her annual check-ups at her local NHS hospital eye clinic.
At her 6-monthly appointment with her local optician, she was told that one of her eyes is deteriorating a little. “The stress of it all has been a problem as my family hasn’t been able to visit as often, but I do have good neighbours.”
Through our conversation with Dorothy, we helped and signposted to several specialist support organisations:
- KVIN a user led organisation that runs support services throughout Kirklees (kvin.org.uk).
- Macular Societies support group in Huddersfield, a patient charity especially for people with Macular conditions, services include advice and information, befriending, advocacy and buddy schemes. Tel 0300 3030 111. www.macularsociety.org
Our purpose is to understand your needs, experiences and concerns services and to speak out on your behalf.
When you get in touch we focus on ensuring that your worries and concerns about current services are addressed. But your stories also help to highlight problems that others may be facing and the more we hear from you the more we are able to report back to NHS managers with ideas for solutions and improvements. Tell us your story today.
