Re: UK Government announce Shake-up for drug licensing body ...

[Guest guest]

In terms of patient involvement, this is an area I am already deeply

involved with in terms of patient representation on the newly established

Patient

Forums. Each Primary Care Trust in the UK (used to be known as the local health

authority until recent times) has an independent Patient Forum attached to

it, there are 460 around the country, not sure if it is just England o the UK.

Their sole purpose is to represent the health concerns/issues of their local

community. They have statutory powers so not just a talking shop.

I am the HCV Lead on my local Patient Forum and we are on the threshold of

cracking the lack of provision for HCV patients in my area - I am one of these

patients who has suffered because of this said lack of provision. If I manage

to pull it off, then it will set a precedent for the remaining 459 and the

floodgates will open in terms of getting provision up and running.

So what has this got to do with anything? Well, maybe there might be some

mileage to be had from an organised approach to the Patient Forum(s) re SSRI. A

recent debate I had with another Forum member as one of our public meetings

went along the line that:

members were being presented with a request to form a small group to look

into mental health provision in our area. I said, yes, me please. I will do

that. Another member said - oh the homeless are already well provided for in

terms of provision for their mental health needs.

THE HOMELESS! I said. Mental health issues are not confined to the

homeless... The incidence of diagnosed depression is SOARING I said and the use

of

SSRIs is highly questionable to address this monumental rise in figures, these

are very ordinary people being dished out these at their local. They all

looked at me dumbfounded. The Forums need people las members, people like you

and

me who are intimately involved with the SSRI debate, to get in there and

influence what is going on.

Mo

Practise random kindness and acts of senseless beauty

[Guest guest]

In terms of patient involvement, this is an area I am already deeply

involved with in terms of patient representation on the newly established

Patient

Forums. Each Primary Care Trust in the UK (used to be known as the local health

authority until recent times) has an independent Patient Forum attached to

it, there are 460 around the country, not sure if it is just England o the UK.

Their sole purpose is to represent the health concerns/issues of their local

community. They have statutory powers so not just a talking shop.

I am the HCV Lead on my local Patient Forum and we are on the threshold of

cracking the lack of provision for HCV patients in my area - I am one of these

patients who has suffered because of this said lack of provision. If I manage

to pull it off, then it will set a precedent for the remaining 459 and the

floodgates will open in terms of getting provision up and running.

So what has this got to do with anything? Well, maybe there might be some

mileage to be had from an organised approach to the Patient Forum(s) re SSRI. A

recent debate I had with another Forum member as one of our public meetings

went along the line that:

members were being presented with a request to form a small group to look

into mental health provision in our area. I said, yes, me please. I will do

that. Another member said - oh the homeless are already well provided for in

terms of provision for their mental health needs.

THE HOMELESS! I said. Mental health issues are not confined to the

homeless... The incidence of diagnosed depression is SOARING I said and the use

of

SSRIs is highly questionable to address this monumental rise in figures, these

are very ordinary people being dished out these at their local. They all

looked at me dumbfounded. The Forums need people las members, people like you

and

me who are intimately involved with the SSRI debate, to get in there and

influence what is going on.

Mo

Practise random kindness and acts of senseless beauty

[Guest guest]

at their local GP surgeries/practices I meant to say just now. Not that they

are scoring SSRIs at their local pub... lol

Mo

Practise random kindness and acts of senseless beauty

[Guest guest]

at their local GP surgeries/practices I meant to say just now. Not that they

are scoring SSRIs at their local pub... lol

Mo

Practise random kindness and acts of senseless beauty