I've always tried to use humour to point out the absurdities of our health and social care system. Recently it hasn't felt like there's been much to laugh at, however stumbling across these tales from serviceland which were made at Skills for People, I was forced into a wry chuckle. If there was a spare minute (there seemed to be a lot!) my colleague Mark Conlin and I would create a quick picture which illustrated the latest absurdity. Many of these tales were created in the early days of self directed support, looking back at them now I was either a fortune teller or a monumental cynic - too many of the flippant, throwaway comments in the pictures have come home to roost. Sadly they've come home to roost with people and their families, who arguably are less 'in control' now than they ever have been.
The phrase 'there's a rabbit off somewhere' is a common one in my tales - a geordie expression roughly translated as 'hang on - that can't be right!' The use of it stemmed from a fantastic weekend at an old monastery in the Cleveland Hills with Jack Pearpoint, Lynda Khan, Kate Fulton, Heather Simmons, Kellie Woodley, Derek Birtwhiltle and many others - our unfulfilled idea was to create an underground campaign which would stealthily leave a little pile of rabbit droppings and a 'there's a rabbit off somewhere' calling card at the scene of the latest social care absurdity. In some respects it is a good job we never got the campaign going, we'd be knee deep in rabbit droppings.
Next week's tale sees the beginning of the CQC series...
