Should We Have More Say in Our Treatment?

You are ill. You go to the doctor. He prescribes medicine. You take it and you get better. But what happens when you have a really serious illness that means time in hospital, complex drug regimes, surgery and rehabilitation?

A brain tumour, for example. It's scary and confusing. The side-effects are getting you down. You want to know what these medicines are really doing. Are there other treatments? Should you be talking to the doctors about what is best for you? You as an individual, that is, not you as one of thousands with the same condition.

The NHS has set up the expectation that patients should be more involved in decisions about their care but is this myth or a reality?
-Is inequality a factor?
-Are you kept in the dark about a particular drug if it isn't available on the NHS in our area?
-Should you be given more information about the treatment you are undergoing so that you can make a better decision?
-Can you get professional advice about alternative or complementary medicines or will your doctor only offer conventional medicine?
-Should doctors be more open about your prognosis, even if it is very poor?

Join us to discuss some of the challenges and opportunities that we may all face about medical care.