Editor's comment: Pooling resources

One of them, Joyce Williams, is a very feisty former chair of the CSP – and her blog is totally uplifting.  Even though she’s turned 80, Joyce is having a whale of a time.  She’s also got some very salutary lessons for younger CSP members, about not judging your older patients (some of whom do still have sex, she assures us). 

 

Sadly, for many of your ‘older’ older patients – the 90-somethings – life’s not always quite so much fun. Many of you working in the NHS will know how hard it can be to provide appropriate services for people who can’t easily get to their GP practice, or who rely on carers for domiciliary care and support. 

 

I’m increasingly aware of the cracks as my own parents age.  The waiting list for a Doppler test at the local hospital – key to getting my dad the correct compression stockings for his swollen legs – is six weeks. Meanwhile, the machine in his GP surgery broke recently.  So much for preventive care.

 

Talking of helping in a crisis, our article on the Members Benevolent Fund offers moving accounts of CSP members helping those who have fallen on hard times.

 

And, on a more upbeat note, see our inspiring article about a healthcare team in Exeter whose ingenuity and application has got patients with tracheostomy swimming again.  When patient-centred health care works well, what an amazing thing it is!