The sun really shone for last weekend’s Awbridge Fete and the annual Florence Nightingale Service in Wellow. Huge thanks should go to all the volunteers who make these community events possible, and it is always incredible to see how many local people attend.
Of course the Nightingale Service attracts people from all around the world, to remember and celebrate the work of the pioneer of modern nursing. It was a huge privilege to be with many of them on Monday as well, for the service in Westminster Abbey.
In fact this week felt like quite a medical themed week. It is Mental Health Awareness Week, and there were various information sessions in Parliament. What was saddest to hear was the comment from one professional about how mental health was still stigmatised, despite all the work they had been doing for decades.
I have also, at the request of constituents, been for a conversation with Diabetes UK to talk about how they see the future of diabetes care can be improved and the impact living with the condition has on 1 in 5 of my constituents. Technology has radically changed the way diabetes patients can live their lives, but there are still vital checks that need to be done that are all too often missed.
Unlike diabetes, Prader-Willi Syndrome only impacts about 2000 people nationwide. It is incredibly rare and as a result is far too little understood. The impact it can have on sufferers and their families is immense, and I very much appreciated the time families had taken to come to Westminster and explain the challenges they face around mental capacity and how to best protect those living with this devastating syndrome.