The current Government won the election and took office on the 5th July. On the same day, the new Health Secretary declared the NHS to be ‘broken’. He said it faced the biggest crisis in its history and could not be fixed overnight.…

At several key moments in my life, Occupational Therapists (OTs) have suggested tools or approaches that have transformed what I’ve considered possible. Occupational Therapy has a lot to offer those of us with tics and Tourettes, but this is often underappreciated and underutilised, so I sat down with Ione Georgakis, an Occupational Therapist with Tourettes, to talk all things OT.…

I’ve been unwell for over a week with a cold or some other miscellaneous virus I picked up from a colleague. While I’ve felt pretty ropey the illness itself has been nothing out of the ordinary, but it’s dragged on, and whenever I’m unwell, particularly with any sort of infection, the seizure-like intensifications of my tics increase dramatically.…

Eleven years ago today, I collected my first wheelchair from NHS Wheelchair services. I’d been nervous about using one, but within hours it was clear what a difference it would make to my life, safety, and independence.

My first chair was basic, made of steel, very strong but super heavy.…

“Biscuit” has been one of my regular tics for many years. I don’t know exactly when it started, but by early 2011 I was very biscuity! I once worked out that I tic “biscuit” about 16,000 times a day, so unsurprisingly it’s a word that lots of people strongly associate with me.…

Yesterday was Sunday and early spring sunshine poured into the castle all day. I had a lovely weekend of haircuts with my family and joining Leftwing Idiot for a run round the park – typical restful weekend activities.

But there was one less restful activity, something many people don’t have to worry about: going through my Personal Health Budget form as part of my annual review.…

I’m a vulnerable adult.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what this means.

Maybe it’s because of the pandemic and how often the word ‘vulnerable’ is used: it’s gone viral. In this context vulnerability is presented as an individual problem.…

On Friday I got an email confirming that the funding for my care at home has moved from Social Services to the NHS. This is known as a Personal Health Budget (PHB). They also sent me a breakdown of the hours and costs involved, and this is the first time in over a decade that I’ve fully understood both my support plan and the money that relates to it.…

Joyce waved me goodbye at the back gate, wearing her colourful apron and a massive grin. She watched me until I’d turned the corner and I waved back just before I vanished out of her sight.

It was a crisp autumn night and the sun had set an hour before as I made my way carefully through the leaves, and through the pedestrians making their way home.…

It’s almost exactly ten years since I started using a wheelchair – tics in my legs had caused repeated injuries and moving around had become increasingly fraught.

But the decision to start one was made harder by the negative ways that wheelchairs are often seen in our society.…