In 2008 Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a promise at his party conference to grant free prescriptions to all those in England with chronic, long-term and serious conditions.(those in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales either already get this, or are about to) Time is now running out to getting this into and through Parliament before the next General Election (likely to be in May or June). After this point it is likely to go right to the bottom of the list of priorities, if not be abandoned altogether. 20 charities are joining together, focussing on Monday 1st February 2010, to make the Government come through on their promise. The economic downturn is no excuse not to follow through on this promise, since the recession has made it even more costly for chronically ill people to pay for their medication. Many are forced to take risks with their welfare by not getting their medication rather than see their families struggling to cope financially.We all know how important our regular medication is!
For Asthma UK's take on this please go to: http://blog.asthma.org.uk/30_seconds_with_gord.html
and for Mind.org's go to: www.mind.org.uk/news/2735_charities_call_for_gordon_brown_to_keep_his_prescription_promise
You can help! You can sign a petition at http://www.prescriptionpromise.org/ where you can also email your local MP and see a list of the charities involved, and you can utilise social networks like Facebook & Twitter to get the word out.
Please use everything you can think of to get the word out - the Government would like the promise to be forgotten, but it's our job (and to our benefit) to make sure it is not.
Thanks!
Welcome to Raggedy Ann Girl in a 'Barbie Doll' World!
Oftentimes the world can seem too harsh. It can be too flash, too fast, too bewildering. It can be loud, unfriendly and so, so negative. We need to step away from the masses, to take time out for ourselves. BE ourselves. Without worrying about what everyone else thinks. We need a fresh start, a new approach. And most of all we need a sense of humour.
So, let's start right now. Let's shed our artificial 'Barbie doll' skins and embrace our inner Raggedy Anns!
So, let's start right now. Let's shed our artificial 'Barbie doll' skins and embrace our inner Raggedy Anns!
About the blogger
- Nicola Rippon
- United Kingdom
- Derby-born Nicola Rippon is a freelance writer. She has been a regular contibutor to the "Derby Telegraph" and "Derbyshire Life & Countryside". She is the author of a number of books of both local and national interest, including "Derby Our City (2001) and "Derbyshire's Own" (2006); and is the co-author of "Goodey's Derby" (2003). In 2001 she wrote and co-produced the highly-acclaimed film "Derby: A People's History".Educated in Derbyshire at Dale Primary and Littleover Schools, she is a long-suffering Rams season ticket holder. Her latest book "The Plot to Kill Lloyd George: The Story of Alice Wheeldon and the Peartree Conspiracy" was published in 2009 and she is still ridiculously excited that she can search for herself on Amazon! With a number of exciting projects 'in the pipeline', two cats to follow around and a vegetable patch to tend, Nicola is grateful for this opportunity to vent and muse on this blog.
