30/01/2026
So 'The Battle of the Ages' with Bernard Gloster is over!! Firstly, I have to tell you the huge drama that happened immediately afterwards - an unbelievable storm dramatically started and blew me into Penneys against my wishes!!! And every time I tried to leave, the storm kept shoving me back in there!! I really am such a victim!!!!! 😂
Anyway to the big meeting!! First item on the agenda - The HSE chief is taking my Stripe Young Scientist project on autism & vaccines misinformation really seriously!!
He's sending it to the relevant Ministers, the Chief Medical Officer of the Dept of Health, and to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, who advise the Government.
So we'll definitely see some action to tackle the vaccine misinformation that's out there. I'm absolutely thrilled that my hard work in a different health area will now get to help many others!!
Second item on the list - the Assessments of Needs crisis. He took on board my concerns that the last recruitment campaign wasn't visual enough and will now brief the Secretary General of the Dept of Health to ensure that this Spring's recruitment campaign does way better.
The good news is that the last recruitment campaign that I convinced him to run, will have the new therapists from that starting on February the 9th, so that was great to hear.
I also asked him to consider an emergency action plan at that point to deal with the 20,000 children rotting on waiting lists, once those new therapists start, and he said that he will consider it.
If I'm totally honest, I've always found Bernard Gloster extremely honest and always open to ideas. So let's see what happens, and hope that the huge numbers start coming down dramatically. If they don't, I'll be back in the biggest way possible again!!!
Now you'll have to excuse me as I check to see if that huge storm outside has passed or whether I need to spend more time in the shops!!!! 🤣 Happy Bank Holiday weekend everyone!!!
