It seems like common sense that the first place someone with a health problem is likely to turn for help is their GP, who is expected to deal with them in an appropriate manner. For people with mental health problems, however, this isn’t necessarily the case. According to the anti-stigma campaign Time to Change (TTC), many people experiencing mental distress arrive at the GP surgery to find that primary care professionals are ill-equipped to deal with their needs. Sometimes the sheer volume of work GPs must contend with means there aren’t the resources available. But often a lack of awareness and training about mental health issues means patients do not receive the care and attention they need.
HUSBAND and wife Stuart and Helen McIntosh are a couple who truly know the meaning of the vow ‘in sickness and in health’.
While Helen suffers from epilepsy, her husband Stuart is wheelchair-bound following a fall at work.
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CARERS: Stuart and Helen McIntosh. Picture: Chris Huthwaite
The Newcastle couple are not only carers for each other but also help to take care of their two sons, who have disorders on the Autism spectrum.
Now they have both been nominated for the Sentinel’s Our Heroes Awards in the Adult Carer of the Year category.
Stuart, aged 48, of Seabridge Lane, said: “I was working as a production manager for a pottery firm about 20 years ago when I fell and severely damaged my ankle.
“Because I couldn’t stand up for long periods, I got a job as a bus driver.
“However, in the end, I had to leave my job to look after Helen and the boys.
“Now, I help to look after her and she helps to look after me.
