A very happy Birthday to the NHS. It is 70 years old today! Where would I be without you!
There are celebrations and news stories but what about the unsung heroes of health care. Social care is also 70 years old today. This fact is barely in the news.
I have had a few direct experiences of the NHS. What really concerns me is if I was born 30 or 40 years earlier or even in another country, I would have been incarcerated for having a mental health condition, potentially chained up and neglected and my family would have experienced a huge stigma in the community.
I have been admitted only once to a psychiatric ward in the UK and this was voluntary. The care I received was impeccable. I behaved badly, absolutely no fault on my own, I was as high as a kite. The police were on standby if I caused trouble. But the nurses were kind and understanding and interested in me. I was medicated and stayed overnight and for me, it was not a terrible experience considering the circumstances.
However, I was unfortunate enough to have a breakdown and manic episode in rural China. This resulted in me being admitted to a psychiatric ward. I was pinned down, injected, locked in a room and treated pretty miserably. For a 21-year-old, ill, with absolutely no awareness of why and how I got there and no contact with friends and family, this was a very scary and bleak experience. If it wasn't for the absolute amazing support system of friends and family members who rallied to get me home, I would have been in there for much longer than 4 days.
Even when I was transferred to St Margaret’s hospital in Hong Kong, I was put in a straight jacket! This was for good reasons but couldn't I have been medicated instead? Despite my mixed views of the treatment I received, I have learned from my friends who are police officers and nurses, that in the UK, they do their absolute best to look after people who are experiencing mania or just high on street drugs. And given the chance, I would apologise to some of those nurses who cared for me.
I am fortunate to have a free NHS, however, the difference of care I have witnessed from living in different cities has greatly impacted how quickly I was able to receive treatment and book appointments when I have been in the darkest grips of depression.
I am sensible, I know the warning signs. I look after myself. I take medication. But where would I be without free access to the NHS, caseworkers, and psychiatrists talking me through a complex diagnosis and educating me along the way?
There’s still so much to be done around the world, in terms of care provided to those with acute mental illness. The stigma and lack of understanding in certain communities are very worrying. But for now, let us say Happy Birthday to the NHS and Social Care and all those who work their socks of for patients everywhere.
I want to say thanks to the amazing staff who have treated me, listened to me, understood me and helped me understand what I can only describe as a whirlwind illness.