Resident ‘desperate’ to live life feels ‘trapped and stuck’ in healthcare system

A Melksham resident with a complex neurological disorder says she feels ‘trapped and stuck’ in the healthcare system after a series of failed referrals for medical support.

Natasha Ward, aged 18, has Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), a condition that affects how the brain and body communicate, causing problems with movement, sensation and thinking.

Since her diagnosis, Natasha says the NHS has not provided the care she needs.

“I feel trapped and stuck,” she said. “I need this help and I need to be able to live my life, but I can’t because I am not getting the care that is needed.

“I am being refused the care they say I need and I am being told that they cannot help me because I am too complex. Doctors say that every symptom I have is linked to FND but that isn’t the case. At the moment I have unknown gastro issues and have had them for years, but nobody can work out what’s going on and they won’t look deeper into it.”

Natasha is currently struggling with swallowing, known as dysphagia, a common symptom of FND, and is in the midst of a nine-month episode of paralysis. She also experiences numbness, migraines, seizures and fainting.

“I need physiotherapy but we are on a long waiting list,” she said. “The physio will say they will be in touch in a few weeks, but then it becomes months. I have had so many failed referrals and just get told no one can help me.

“We have had gastro referrals and a referral to a very high specialist in London, but he said because I have an FND diagnosis, he will not see me. I was referred to a specialist in Swindon but was told they would not take me due to complexity and because they don’t feel like they can do anything. When I was admitted to the adult ward in Swindon for three months, they said they would not see me in outpatients once I was discharged.”

Psychological support is also another area Natasha needs help with, but due to underfunding, she is struggling to get the mental health support she needs.

“There is a specialist centre in Bristol which supports people with FND but due to underfunding they can’t provide psychological support,” she explained. “No mental health professionals will see me because I don’t have a mental health disorder.”

Natasha, a former student at Melksham Oak Community School, lives with her parents. “My mum has to help provide care if I need to shower or go out,” she said. “We are just constantly being told no by everyone and that no-one can help me.”

Still waiting to hear back from five referrals, Natasha says she is ‘praying’ that a medical professional can step in.

“Bath has a 60-week waitlist, which is over a year,” she said. “The hospital in Oxford is still going through January referrals. It is hugely stressful, which doesn’t help at all.”