A System Under Strain: My Mother’s Journey Through Inadequate Community Care

My mother suffered a stroke, leading to her initial treatment in Coventry before being transferred to Leamington for rehabilitation. Unfortunately, the home care services have been nearly non-existent, forcing me to move in with her to ensure she receives the necessary care.

While in the hospital, she developed an infection that left her extremely weak. We requested a GP home visit, but that request was denied, compelling me to make a challenging trip to the surgery. When we finally saw the GP, the only solution offered was physiotherapy.

I recently learned from the physiotherapy team that someone will drop by in the New Year with an exercise sheet, which feels insufficient given her needs.

Additionally, a frailty nurse visited but indicated she wouldn’t return for another four months. This experience has left me deeply concerned about the effectiveness of local community care services. It is evident that substantial improvements are needed to

better support individuals and families in our community.

The Struggle for Accessible Care: A Personal Account of Navigating Healthcare Challenges

Following a fall I required many visits to Warwick Hospital. The problem was co-ordinating someone to sit at home with my dementia husband and someone to drive me to the hospital.

 This was made more difficult when I had no idea of the waiting time, and I experienced anything from two hours to five hours. Adding further to the stress was the length of the journey. 

On a separate occasion, my husband also had an appointment necessitating journeys to Stratford, Alcester and the surgery. Shipston residents needs to have services closer to home, transport is adding considerable stress to an already difficult situation, especially which captures the personal experiences and challenges faced by individuals in accessing necessary medical care, this serves to highlight the barriers within the healthcare system.