Copy of LETTER TO RICHARD DRAX MP Hon. Richard Drax MP House of Commons London SW1A 0AA 29 July 2017 Dear Mr Drax The Trade Deal with the USA I wish to express my grave concerns over the secret talks Liam Fox is having with the US administration over...
If NHS treatment cost money, I really would be struggling for basics by now. For the first forty-five years of my life I visited hospitals as a patient only for D and Cs after miscarriages, and to apply for a wig or be given a steroid cream in my early months...
Dorset Mind, the mental health charity, has partnered with David Upshall Insurance Services, intending to offer much-needed mental health support services in Dorchester. The initial fundraising launch raised in excess of £2,100 to start funding. Influential businessman David Upshall invited Dorchester’s Mayor Councillor Susie Hosford, local business people and...
Healthwatch Dorset has been shortlisted for a national award that celebrates the difference local Healthwatch have made to health and social care in the past year. Chosen from over 150 entries from across the country, Healthwatch Dorset has been shortlisted for its work to develop better and more understandable...
In July, Bournemouth University and Acts Fast will be presenting Southmead Project’s ‘Wall of Silence’, a display of images and stories that share the experience and impact of child abuse. The exhibition has already been shown across other towns and cities, including Bristol and Northampton (see https://southmeadproject.org.uk/wall-of-silence/). The exhibition...
When my good friend Mark Williams asked me to write this blog for International Fathers’ Mental Health Day (IFMHD), I had no hesitation in agreeing. This is something very close to my heart, professionally and personally. Here’s why. Professionally, I am an academic psychologist (based at Bournemouth University), specialising in...
This volunteers’ week (1-7 June) the Samaritans of Bournemouth and District are joining volunteer organisations across the UK to show how giving your time makes a huge difference to the lives of others. Echoing the findings of its Dying from Inequality report released earlier this year, Samaritans is highlighting...
So...went to get a doctors appointment at my NHS GP today (Spitalfields Practice). Earliest appointment is the end of June. However there is a touch screen panel in the corner of the room which allows me to see a GP today, immediately, as long as I pay £39 for...
As BBC One shows the true-life drama “Three Girls” you might be thinking that this harrowing story of child sexual abuse was unique and isolated. Sadly, children are still being abused, and groomed for abuse, all across the UK. Locally, Acts Fast, a Bournemouth-based charity, provides support across Dorset...
Everyone knows growing up is tough and unfortunately for some growing up is tougher than it is for others. Through my teenage years I found it incredibly difficult to survive in the education system, due to the social grouping that people placed themselves in. I spent many of those...
