Two delightful things arrived in the post in the wake of Rachel Reeves’ Spending Review announcement, which once again showered the NHS with yet more of our money.
In the wake of her statement, it emerged the NHS app will become the default method of communication for millions more patients in England - and save the health service £200million over the next three years.
More test results, screening invitations and appointment reminders will be sent directly to smartphones as part of a £50million investment in the app, in a move away from traditional communication methods such as letters.
This is a body blow for not only those of us with dementia, but millions of others who either don’t have good broadband and wifi, including many pensioners, or folk like us living in rural areas.
Alastair Stewart rails against the wider adoption of the NHS app as the main touchpoint for patients
GB NEWSI spoke of my disquiet on social media and was overwhelmed by the number of responses I got from people who shared my concern on their own behalf or on behalf of elderly parents, grandparents, and others.
The complexity of the app makes it unfit for purpose for many of us dependent on the NHS for our well-being. Our GP practice is great with letters, texts and such like - so that we never feel lost or overlooked.
Anyway, back to the post.
The first joy through the letterbox was a note from our local MP, Dr Danny Chambers. Danny is a vet by trade, so we have much in common.
He covers Mental Health for the Liberal Democrats in the House of Commons, and takes a keen interest in dementia, too. His letter was to congratulate me on having the GB News Westminster studios named after me as a tribute.
In his letter, he said if I had any concerns, to get in touch. He wished me well with my dementia, which was kind.
I am going to write to him to ask him to raise the unsuitability of the NHS app for those of us with dementia and other mental health challenges.
The other pleasant post was a card from General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter saying how nice it had been to see us at last weekend’s birthday lunch for Brooke supporter Mary Redvers.
He said how well I had looked, and the card was a picture of an army cavalry horse. The picture and comments put a spring in my step, as did GB News’ coverage of the Spending Review.
We had reporters across the country, many in local markets, talking to traders, few of whom talked about improving benefits or looking for handouts.
Their concerns were much more about the state of the economy and how slack and slow trade was.
A couple also complained about the higher cost of employing workers, thanks to the Reeves Budget.
Chris Hope was on top form, analysing what Reeves’ Tory Shadow Mel Stride, and many others, called the ‘spend tomorrow and tax tomorrow spending review’.
He also observed the ‘pork barrel’ aspect of the review, with money being showered on areas behind the Red Wall in a transparent effort to shore up shrinking support for Labour.
The excellent Chris Mason on the BBC observed how the Chancellor was relying on patience and economic growth.
She didn’t have long to wait for the first body blow. The very next day, official statistics showed the economy was shrinking, not growing. Any further tax rises in the Autumn Budget could prove fatal.
This week, I also heard from my kidney consultant that he had found a small concern, but the traditional treatment was a medication which could worsen my dementia.
I do like joined-up thinking. So, we agreed we’d forgo the medicine, and he’d just keep monitoring my kidneys. I’ll keep you posted!
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