This is Episode 1 of Rachel's story, part of our Treat me well campaign at Mencap.
Sign up to get more episodes and hear about our campaign, Treat me well, at http://mencap.org.uk/treatmewell.
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Transcript
Announcer: You are now listening to Episode 1 of Rachel’s story, part of Mencap’s Treat Me Well campaign. Too many people with a learning disability face obstacles when they go to hospital. We want to change this.
Every episode of Rachel’s story is based on real experiences of people with a learning disability who have been to hospital.
Rachel: Do you remember the last time you had a stomach ache? It’s usually nothing serious, right. I didn’t think it was weird one Sunday when my stomach started to hurt a little bit. I couldn’t eat my lunch, even though it was my favourite – cheese on toast. But then the bottom of my stomach started really hurting. That’s when I knew I should probably tell someone.
My name is Rachel and I live on my own. I have a support worker and my parents visit once a week. But my support worker wasn’t going to come until Tuesday. And I could feel the pain getting worse. I went to A&E because I wasn’t sure where else to go. It was loud. A lot was going on. Sometimes when there is too much noise, I get upset. So, after I checked in, I tried to ask the person at reception if there was a quiet place to wait.
Receptionist: I’m sorry but we don’t have any other places to sit apart from the waiting room. If you really need a quiet place, I’m afraid you’ll have to go outside. Next!
Rachel: I looked outside. It was raining hard. I took the form and went to a corner of the room. Filling out the forms was difficult. There were lots of long words. I have a learning disability and I didn’t have a person to ask for help. The receptionist seemed too busy and I didn’t want to bother him again. So I did my best. I waited until the doctor called me in. The doctor seemed really busy. I tried to explain that my stomach was really badly hurting. They asked me some questions I didn’t understand.
Doctor: Do you have any existing gastrointestinal conditions? Could you be pregnant? It could be a number of things causing your abdominal issues. What I’m going to do is do some basic physical tests, we’ll get you a blood test, and I’ll give you a prescription for a painkiller.
Rachel: When the doctor lifted up my shirt, I jumped really badly. I didn’t understand what they were trying to do. Everything was happening fast.
Doctor: Oh! Don’t worry! I’m just checking your abdominal area. Sorry about that!
Rachel: I was trying not to panic. But I could feel myself getting more and more anxious.
Announcer: This is the end of Episode 1. Rachel's story is combination of experiences that real people with a learning disability have had in hospital. Rachel’s experiences in this episode are based on Anne G’s story.
To read Anne G’s story and to find out more about Treat me well, our campaign for better hospital care, please visit www.mencap.org.uk/TreatMeWell. Sign up to campaign emails on the website to get the next episode. Thank you.
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