We are waiting for the 18.43 to Worksop. No station announcements. Found out on the National Rail website it is cancelled. Will you provide a taxi for the four of us?
@EastMidRailway
Tracey retweeted
THE CAFE OWNER WHO TOOK ON THE NHS AND WON
Julie Bailey's (@curetheNHS) mother Bella went into Stafford Hospital in 2007 and never came home. She was left unwashed, unfed, and neglected on an NHS ward. Julie was at her bedside. She saw it all.
Most people would have grieved in silence. Julie Bailey plastered her cafe walls with photographs of the dead. Dozens of families. Dozens of names. Dozens of people the NHS let die while it was busy hitting targets and protecting its own reputation.
She founded Cure the NHS and spent six years forcing a reckoning nobody in management wanted. The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust stonewalled her. NHS managers circled the wagons. And people in Stafford who were angry about the hospital's downgrade blamed her for it. She was abused in the streets of the town where she grew up.
The NHS had decided its reputation mattered more than the patients inside its buildings. The regulators looked the other way. The executives kept their jobs and their pensions.
Then the Robert Francis public inquiry found exactly what Julie Bailey had been saying all along. Patients left in filth. Medication withheld. Staff told to lie about waiting times. 290 recommendations. A finding that the NHS had systematically prioritised its own image over patient safety.
NHS chief Sir David Nicholson, who had overseen the West Midlands strategic health authority covering Stafford during the worst years, eventually resigned. Former trust chief executive Martin Yeates left with over £400,000 and a £1 million pension pot. Nobody was prosecuted.
Julie Bailey got a CBE.
The institution that spent years resisting accountability rewarded the woman it tried to silence, gave the bosses their money, and then quietly went back to business as usual.
Ten years later Sir Robert Francis himself said what was happening across the NHS was Mid Staffordshire playing out on a national scale.
A cafe owner changed the NHS more than anyone in a corner office ever did. The corner offices just made sure they kept the corner offices.
Sources: BBC @BBCNews, The Guardian @guardian, The Times @thetimes, ITV @ITV, Channel 4 @Channel4, Wikipedia (Stafford Hospital scandal), Nuffield Trust @NuffieldTrust, Francis Report 2013
Tracey retweeted
Dr X was finishing a prescription when the nurse called the next patient.
A middle-aged man walked in slowly. Office clothes. One hand pressed over his upper stomach.
“Doctor… burning here.”
He pointed to the epigastrium.
Dr X nodded.
“How long?”
“Since morning.”
“After food?”
“No.”
“Nausea?”
“Yes.”
“Vomited once.”
Classic gastritis.
The intern had already written antacid on the sheet.
But Dr X kept looking at the man.
Something didn’t fit.
The patient looked…
Not in agony.
But uneasy.
Restless.
A thin layer of sweat glistened on his forehead.
Yet the room was cool.
Dr X asked quietly:
“Does the pain go anywhere?”
The man hesitated.
“Maybe… a little to the chest.”
The intern stopped writing.
Dr X leaned forward.
“Left arm pain?”
“No.”
“Jaw pain?”
“No.”
“Breathlessness?”
“A little… when it started.”
Vitals appeared.
Pulse: 96
BP: 148/90
SpO₂: 97%
Nothing alarming.
Still, Dr X asked one more question.
“Do you have diabetes?”
“Yes.”
“For ten years.”
Dr X closed the file slowly.
“Get an ECG.”
The intern blinked.
“Sir… for gastritis?”
Dr X nodded.
“Exactly.”
Ten minutes later the ECG came back. The intern stared at the paper. Then looked up.
“Sir…”
Leads II, III, aVF were shouting from the page.
ST elevation.
Clear.
Undeniable.
Dr X turned to the patient.
“You’re having a heart attack.”
The man frowned.
“But dr… it’s just stomach burning.”
Dr X pointed to the ECG.
“Inferior wall myocardial infarction.”
Then he tapped the patient’s epigastrium.
“The heart and stomach share nerve pathways.”
“So sometimes…”
“The pain is felt here.”
Not in the chest.
Not in the arm.
Just burning in the stomach.
Within minutes the emergency protocol began.
Cardiology was called.
The patient was rushed for angioplasty.
A clot was found in the right coronary artery.
It was opened with a stent.
Blood flow returned.
The next morning the man sat up in bed. Comfortable. Alive.
The interns were still discussing the case when Dr X walked past.
He paused.
Then wrote three words on the board.
“Not all gastritis.”
He looked at the interns.
“Any patient with epigastric pain…”
“Especially if they’re diabetic…”
“Always think of the heart.”
Then he added quietly:
“The most dangerous heart attacks are the ones that whisper.”
#MedTwitter
#DrX
Tracey retweeted
Only 4 days to go until my big challenge… 5 marathons over 5 consecutive days. I had my last training session today, and I can safely say it’s gonna be tough. If you’re able to share my page or donate anything at all, it’d be massively appreciated 💙 justgiving.com/page/charlie-…
Tracey retweeted
When we’re grieving it’s hard to believe that we will get through it, but if we take our time we will find a way. However lonely it feels please know you are not alone.
#NationalGriefAwarenessWeek #Grief
I'm not a football fan but well done to whoever who did this. A moving tribute to the club who will rise again.
This was the video played on the big screen before kick-off at Hillsborough today... Chansiri.exe
#SWFC
Tracey retweeted
Competition time 🎉
We're so excited for 2026, we’re giving away:
🤩 A 2026 midweek or weekend break
🎟️ VIP Early Access Passes
🍽️ Dining for your stay
To enter - like this post and fill in the blank 👇
"My favourite thing about Butlin's is ________"
#ReadyToButlins #Competition
Tracey retweeted
**GIVEAWAY**
To celebrate the launch of my new book *Toffee Apple Strudel* on 13th August, I’m giving away this bundle of goodies.
To enter, simply like & retweet!
Closes 6pm GMT Sun 17/08/25 - Winner announced 18/08/25. *UK Only*
#win #giveaway #luvpastry
amzn.eu/d/42yGCkH
Tracey retweeted
Afternoon Tea Week is just round the corner, so let’s have a #COMPETITION to #win a pack of Afternoon tea postcards! Please follow, repost and reply with ‘Savour the Moment, Sip by Sip’ by 9am on 7 July. Best of luck!
UK only T&Cs apply
thepostcardstore.co.uk/produ…
Tracey retweeted
My Etsy shop's now open for small & large limited ed'n fine art signed mounted prints & frameable greetings cards of my botanical collections.
I design my photos using recent research so they dial down your fight or flight response when you look at them:
etsy.com/uk/shop/silverpebbl…
I am often bemused by some nominations to the House of Lords but the nomination of @amanda_spielman is beyond a belief. She led @Ofstednews when an inspection contributed to the death of a headteacher. This nomination must be withdrawn or denied. Respect to all teachers.
Tracey retweeted
Here's a 🎶 twist on @coldplay's thumping #VivaLaVida we're calling "Puppets on a Kremlin String?" It reflects on the grotesque disrespectful media spectacle hosted by #Trump & #Vance yesterday at the White House. In solidarity with @ZelenskyyUa 🇺🇦
#SlavaUkraini
#Dontabandonthem
Tracey retweeted
COMPETITION TIME! Did you know it was #InternationalPolarBearDay yesterday? So to #win a pack of our cute Polar Bear postcards please follow, repost and reply with ‘But I don’t think I’d like to cuddle one’ by 9am on 3 March Good luck!
UK only T&Cs apply
thepostcardstore.co.uk/produ…
ALT An adult polar bear in the snow, looking off to the right, with a polar bear cub cuddling up to them on the left
Tracey retweeted
The people of Europe stand with Ukraine against the threat of a false peace as much as a brutal war. Because of our shared history. Because of our shared future. Because it is just. Because it is necessary. And because they deserve nothing less. Don't abandon them. #SlavaUkraini
Tracey retweeted
It's Valentine's day on Friday - so we're giving away a Hotel Chocolat Large Dipping Adventure this evening (it'll be with you in time for the big day!) To win, simply LIKE, REPOST and make sure you're following us - the winner will be announced 8pm on the 11th February! Good luck! 🍫❤️🍫🍀
Tracey retweeted
Want to know why your council tax is going up?…
This roundabout revamp cost
5.5 MILLION pounds !
Wokingham Borough Council in Berkshire, you are a disgrace.
We are being mugged off by authorities.
