Health, Wellbeing and Local Government Committee

Committee Inquiry into Stroke services in Wales – Written evidence from Dave Bowles

The adequacy of Committee Inquires

It is always interesting to watch evidence sessions via Freeview, because I was for so many years an active voluntary contributor to local Health & Social Service Planning as a User Accountable participant; unfortunately, one does oscillate in one’s confidence in the process, due to some naïveté/idealistic expectations from Committee Members (as well as the public & single interest patients) in between other quite astute questioning.

Often, there is a presumption that professionals are wholly part of a system, rather than semi-autonomous contributors of pockets of high competence backed by a scarcity of in-fill to address needs that do not respond to “one size fits most” approaches.

Today you seemed surprised that some patients were excluded from rehab :- I have a friend who has survived quite well after a 2002 quadruple by-pass (cost to NHS approx £10K) despite not receiving cardiac rehab because, as a disabled person, he could not engage in standard exercise regimes.

Equally, he remains too independent to rely on poor service, but determined enough to help Statutory Bodies improve their services.

Regards,

Dave Bowles