Our stories, our voices: the power of lived experience with gifted women
Download (PDF 968.89 KB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Plymouth were invited to a drop-in workshop with a group of women working with ‘Gifted Women’ - a charity for women who are rebuilding their lives after substance misuse, homelessness and contact with the criminal justice system - to learn more about their experiences with local health and social care services. Five women took part.
Key findings
Women who experience multiple disadvantages face additional barriers to accessing health and social care including distrust in ‘professionals’ based on past experiences.
The absence of a shared patient record system forces women to repeatedly recount their story.
Women with past histories of addiction are being prescribed addictive medication in primary care.
Participants felt their problems were too complex to communicate in a ten-minute Primary Care appointment.
Participants identified a need for an intermediary, who can understand their full needs, who is then able to liaise with Health and Social Care services on their behalf.
When health professionals went “above and beyond” for an individual, it made a difference beyond resolving the immediate problem