National Voices’ joint letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care 

As a collective, we felt Wes Streeting’s assessment of the NHS as ‘broken’ was both accurate, and refreshing, and that it had voiced what many of the people we advocate for have felt over the last few years as they have increasingly struggled to access the health and care they need.  

The COVID-19 pandemic compounded existing inequalities, exacerbated existing issues with NHS performance and had a profound impact on people’s mental health. Four years on, we are still feeling the effects.  

This joint letter invites the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and his advisors to meet with National Voices and our members, to help find equitable solutions to a mix of short and medium-term concerns, including:

• Building back equitably
• Medication shortages
• Digital exclusion
• Cost of living
• Primary Care

Our letter was supported by 110 National Voices member charities, as follows:

Mark Linehan, CEO, Abbey Community Association 

Bradley Price, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis 

Philippa Sharman, Communications & Research Manager, Addison’s Disease Self-Help Group 

Vivienne Evans OBE, Chief Executive, Adfam 

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director, Age UK 

Simone Miles, Chief Executive, Allergy UK  

Noha Al Afifi, Interim CEO, Arthritis Action 

Sue Brown, CEO, Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance 

Lisa McNeil, Chair, Aspergillosis Trust 

Sarah Sleet, CEO, Asthma + Lung UK 

Tony Thornburn OBE, Chair, Behcet’s UK 

Maggie Gilbert, Coordinator, Better Living CIO 

Helen Rowntree, Chief Executive, Blood Cancer UK 

Tess Linton, Chief Executive, Borderline Support UK CIC 

Manveet Basra, Associate Director, Public Health, Inclusion and Awareness, Breast Cancer Now 

Anna Schurer, Chair, British Dupuytrens’s Society  

Sarah Mistry, Chief Executive, British Geriatrics Society 

Sasha Daly, Interim CEO, Cancer52 

Joel Rose, Chief Executive, Cardiomyopathy UK 

Helen Walker, Chief Executive, Carers UK 

Percy Akudo, Head of Strategy, Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN) 

Andy Bell, Chief Executive, Centre for Mental Health 

Leigh Andrews, Head of Speech and Language Therapy, Change Communication 

Anne Fox, CEO, Clinks  

Suzi Henderson, CEO, Cloverleaf Advocacy 

Helen Paisley, Chief Executive, Community Dental Services CIC 

Marianne Radcliffe, Chief Executive Officer, Crohn’s & Colitis UK 

Dr Robin Dover, Chair of Trustees, Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome Association UK 

Andy Pike, Head of Policy, Campaigns and Public Affairs, Dementia UK 

Helen Kirrane, Head of Policy, Campaigns & Mobilisation, Diabetes UK 

Kamran Mallick, CEO, Disability Rights UK 

Victoria Wareham, Director of Operations and Development, Dystonia UK 

Susan Adey Rankin, Chair, East Staffordshire Patient Engagement Group 

Diana Perry, CEO & Founder, Ectodermal Dysplasia Society 

Emma Cox, Chief Executive, Endometriosis UK 

Alison Fuller, Director of Health Improvement and Influencing, Epilepsy Action 

Shizana Arshad, Equally Well UK Lead, Equally Well UK 

Judith Potts, Founder, Esme’s Umbrella 

Vicky Thomson, Chief Executive, Every-One 

Sarah Mann, CEO, Friends, Families and Travellers 

David Ralph, CEO/Chair, Furness Mental Health Trust (FMHT) 

John Grumitt, CEO, Future Care Capital 

Rich Collins, Chief Executive, GAIN (Guillain-Barré and Associated Inflammatory Neuropathies) 

Capt Cat S Burton FRAeS, Chair, GIRES 

Michael Chandler, CEO, Groundswell 

Gemma Griffiths, Chief Officer, Help2Change CIC 

Gabriela Matouskova, CEO, Hope 4 The Community CIC 

Roger Smith, Trustee & Chair, Hounslow Borough Respiratory Support Group 

Mo Peskett, Chair, ICUsteps 

Richard Beesley, Founder & Director, Juvenile Arthritis Research 

Paul Bristow, Chief Executive, Kidney Care UK 

Portia Roberts-Popham, Executive Director, Locorum Ltd 

Jeremy Rossman, Trustee, Long Covid Kids 

Natalie Rogers, Founding Trustee, Long Covid Support 

Ondine Sherwood, Co Founder, LongCovidSOS  

Caroline Olshewsky, CEO, Lupus UK 

Karen Friett, Chief Executive, Lymphoedema Support Network 

Gemma Peters, Chief Executive, Macmillan Cancer Support 

Ed Holloway, CEO, Macular Society 

Sam Royston, Executive Director of Policy and Research, Marie Curie 

Mark Rowland, Chief Executive, Mental Health Foundation 

Dr Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive, Mind 

Alex Massey, Head of Campaigns, Policy and Public Affairs, MND Association 

Dr Sarah Rawlings, Executive Director of Research and External Affairs, MS Society 

Dr Hina J Shahid, Chair & GP, Muslim Doctors Association & Allied Health Professionals CIC  

Dr Sophie Castell, Chief Executive, Myeloma UK 

Dr Dale Webb, CEO, National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society 

Clare Jacklin, CEO, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society 

Mandy Crandale, Chief Executive Officer, National Survivor User Network 

Dr Raven Bowen, CEO, National Ugly Mugs 

Maddy Desforges OBE, CEO, NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) 

James Inman, Founder, neurobetter 

Patrick Mayne, Coordinator, Northern Cancer Voices 

Dympna Cunnane, CEO, Our Time 

Jo Betterton, Trustee, Pain UK CIO 

Diana Jupp, Chief Executive, Pancreatic Cancer UK 

Juliet Tizzard, Director of External Relations, Parkinson’s UK 

Sophie Randall, Director, Patient Information Forum 

Mohammad Ismail Wasway, Managing Director, PatientsCann UK 

Silvia Petretti, CEO, Positively UK 

Charlotte Howden, CEO, Pregnancy Sickness Support 

Chiara De Biase, Director of Health Services, Equity & Improvement, Prostate Cancer UK 

Susan Oliver, Chair and Trustee, Pseudomyxoma Survivor 

Harriet Oppenheimer, Chief Executive, RNID 

Sue Farrington, Chief Executive, Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK 

Ian Boyd, CEO, Self Help UK 

Ceinwen Giles, Co-CEO, Shine Cancer Support 

Kirit Mistry, Founder & Health Inequalities Lead, South Asian Health Action 

Ian Joslin, Trustee/Treasurer, Stickler Syndrome UK 

Juliet Bouverie OBE, Chief Executive Officer, Stroke Association 

Shuranjeet Singh, Director, Taraki Wellbeing 

Liz Gill, Co-CEO, The British Porphyria Association 

Rachel Halford, CEO, The Hepatitis C Trust 

Natalie Diana Busari, Senior Director, The Nerve of My Multiple Sclerosis CIC 

Georgina Carr, Chief Executive, The Neurological Alliance 

Sarah Massie, Director of Programmes, The Point of Care Foundation 

Louise Sellar, Director, The Thyroid Trust  

Eamonn Dunne, Partnerships & Projects Development Manager, Thomas Pocklington Trust 

Lyn Mynott, CEO, Thyroid UK 

Sue Thomas, Trustee, Time To Talk Mental Health UK 

Andy Fletcher, Chief Executive Officer, Together for Short Lives 

Julie Bass, Chief Executive, Turning Point 

Sue Dimmock, Chair, UKPIPS (UK Primary Immune-deficiency Patient Support) 

Chloe Hayward, Executive Director, United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum 

Samantha Sherratt, Transformation Director, Urostomy Association 

Helen James, Founder, VCSE Nutriri 

Deborah Alsina, Chief Executive Officer, Versus Arthritis 

Leslie Billy, Chief Executive, Viewpoint 

Dr Stewart Manning, Chairman, Yorkshire Cancer Community 

Chris Lewis, COO, Your SimPal