It is not often that we get the chance to have a say in what happens in the NHS, but UK residents now have a wonderful opportunity to influence decisions in favour of ME in the Department of Health's Open Consultation on Choice.
If you would like to take part in this consultation (which we are hoping will be seen as a MASS PROTEST by ME sufferers to the Department of Health), but are too ill to help us fill in the questionnaire over the next few days, then simply send an e-mail entitled MASS PROTEST to: choiceforme@hotmail.co.uk and we will send you the completed version once we have finished it , which you can glance over to make sure it reflects your opinion, and then forward to the Dept of Health (instructions will come in a separate e-mail at the same time). Please forward this e-mail to as many ME sufferers/carers as you can and post on any forums you belong to. If, on the other hand, you feel well enough to help, then read below:
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CONSULTATION
The Department of Health "Liberating the NHS: Greater Choice and Control" are running an open consultation until the 14th January. This consultation is open to the general public, patients, GPs, PCTs, advocacy organisations and just about anyone!
"We need to raise the quality of the patient experience so we will put patients at the heart of everything we do...giving people more choice and control...more say in making decisions about their care" In the Executive Summary, they talk about wanting patients to have far more influence and the NHS to be more responsive. They say that this would mean a cultural change in the NHS. Their vision is of informed, empowered patients making choices over the things that matter to them. "Choice encourages healthcare providers to tailor their services to what people want and to improve their quality and efficiency
There are 54 questions in the consultation but participants need only answer the questions that they have a view on. It is intended that the results of this consultation will help to develop further proposals for implementing greater choice and control A summary of the response to this consultation will be made available before or alongside any further actionand will be placed on the Consultations website
Both the executive summary and the online consultation or downloadable version can be found on www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_119651
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We need to respond en masse as ME patients who currently have NO CHOICE. As many ME patients are not well enough to fill in the questionnaire we have taken it upon ourselves to write a response to 15 of the questions, after consulting with many ME patients . Once it is finalised, people can forward to the Department of Health with one click (or of course, they can also use it as a starting point for their own personalised response). Please take a look by requesting to see what we have done so far in an e-mail to choiceforme@hotmail.co.uk giving your e-mail the title WORD DOCUMENT. Remember that we are trying to address issues in the current system and in the White Paper that have allowed and will continue to allow the ME situation to occur, so we should be talking about the system and merely giving examples from the ME world. Try and resist the temptation to talk about the injustices in ME treatment and concentrate on changing the system.
Feedback to: choiceforme@hotmail.co.uk or leave your comments on facebook (Choice for ME) http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Choice-for-ME/168619626492012 We would like to have an e-mail ready to forward to thousands of patients by Wednesday 22nd Dec, so please give your feedback before Tuesday 21st. Thank-you. We will give you instructions later as to the format for sending the e-mail once it is drawn up.
If you would like to take part in this consultation (which we are hoping will be seen as a MASS PROTEST by ME sufferers to the Department of Health), but are too ill to help us fill in the questionnaire over the next few days, then simply send an e-mail entitled MASS PROTEST to: choiceforme@hotmail.co.uk and we will send you the completed version once we have finished it , which you can glance over to make sure it reflects your opinion, and then forward to the Dept of Health (instructions will come in a separate e-mail at the same time). Please forward this e-mail to as many ME sufferers/carers as you can and post on any forums you belong to. If, on the other hand, you feel well enough to help, then read below:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONSULTATION
The Department of Health "Liberating the NHS: Greater Choice and Control" are running an open consultation until the 14th January. This consultation is open to the general public, patients, GPs, PCTs, advocacy organisations and just about anyone!
"We need to raise the quality of the patient experience so we will put patients at the heart of everything we do...giving people more choice and control...more say in making decisions about their care" In the Executive Summary, they talk about wanting patients to have far more influence and the NHS to be more responsive. They say that this would mean a cultural change in the NHS. Their vision is of informed, empowered patients making choices over the things that matter to them. "Choice encourages healthcare providers to tailor their services to what people want and to improve their quality and efficiency
There are 54 questions in the consultation but participants need only answer the questions that they have a view on. It is intended that the results of this consultation will help to develop further proposals for implementing greater choice and control A summary of the response to this consultation will be made available before or alongside any further actionand will be placed on the Consultations website
Both the executive summary and the online consultation or downloadable version can be found on www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_119651
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We need to respond en masse as ME patients who currently have NO CHOICE. As many ME patients are not well enough to fill in the questionnaire we have taken it upon ourselves to write a response to 15 of the questions, after consulting with many ME patients . Once it is finalised, people can forward to the Department of Health with one click (or of course, they can also use it as a starting point for their own personalised response). Please take a look by requesting to see what we have done so far in an e-mail to choiceforme@hotmail.co.uk giving your e-mail the title WORD DOCUMENT. Remember that we are trying to address issues in the current system and in the White Paper that have allowed and will continue to allow the ME situation to occur, so we should be talking about the system and merely giving examples from the ME world. Try and resist the temptation to talk about the injustices in ME treatment and concentrate on changing the system.
Feedback to: choiceforme@hotmail.co.uk or leave your comments on facebook (Choice for ME) http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Choice-for-ME/168619626492012 We would like to have an e-mail ready to forward to thousands of patients by Wednesday 22nd Dec, so please give your feedback before Tuesday 21st. Thank-you. We will give you instructions later as to the format for sending the e-mail once it is drawn up.
