Thread by @drlennardlee

1/x 🧵 ICYMI, the largest UK health campaign has just kicked off today. For the #immunocompromised in the UK, young and old, those with cancer, @bloodcancer_uk, autoimmune disease, transplants and kidney disease. And it's making a huge splash. I've been asked to comment.

2/x What's the background? There are half a million immunocompromised people in the UK. Many are still shielding, still in isolation, still unable to work, see friends or hug loved ones. They are #forgotten500k, unheard and calling on us to notice.

3/x Health campaigns are rare . Rarely are patients so motivated to demand action from MPs like @RobertJenrick. They are a minority, facing a niche issue, which is easy to dismiss. It's even worse if you can't leave the house because you are still shielding. How are you heard?

4/x. They saw 32 countries started delivery of a good treatment to prevent coronavirus hospitalisation, breakthrough infections & deaths in their patients. They saw that the UK chose not to. So most European patients have it, but they did. The UK patients would be last in line.

5/x. An incredible group of patients then got together to ask charities, clinicians, MPs and media to tell their story. And this is what they got....🙂 They got support. Where there was indecision, they got people willing to help.

6/x Simply incredible MPs like @GwynneMP

@libdemdaisy

@RuthCadbury

@wesstreeting

@vickyfoxcroft

@grahamstuart

@BobBlackman @davidcullinane

@AndrewDLansley picked up the baton to put their cause at the front of Westminster.

7/x Really incredible reporters worked so hard to surface the real-live hardships of the #forgotten500k, like
@EnnalsEthan
@TomChivers
@KatharineDC
@jeremyatmirror
@claremenglish
@WiTullis
@BBCFergusWalsh

8/x Over 125 doctors from our 4 nations and 17 specialities called for action. Visionaries like @ProfBMT
, @DrJoDaniels
, @mkwillicombe
, @AlexRichter3
. Clinicians like @SeanHuaLim
, @Thushan_deSilva
, @EleanorBarnesOx
, @cancermedic
uniting our professions.

9/x in the next 69 days, I've been reliably informed that democracy has truly sprung into action. You will hear podcasts, newspaper articles, events and more as you watch a health campaign spring to life.

10/x Even my little section in the podast is live too. It's been called a "NO BRAINER" decision. crisiswhatcrisis.com

10/x What exactly do they want? They want a decision then a pilot, then the first jab in 69 days. I'm unsure if @RobertJenrick can act fast enough, though hopefully as a Johnian, he can pull the levers buttons quickly. Its been an honour to add a little voice to this grassroot

11/x patient health campaign. My thoughts are with all those suffering from coronavirus and dealing with the mental health toil, unable to see loved ones or hug families. I'm impressed what they've started. It's the largest patient health campaign I've ever seen.