Wentworth, who describes himself as “queer and disabled”, has recently had a series of urological problems. He says doctors often attribute his symptoms to his cerebral palsy first, rather than attempting to properly diagnose issues.

“The thing is, disabled people know their bodies incredibly well,” he says.

“So we should, I firmly believe, be trusted more than some other people, because we’ve been living in these bodies and we’ve been hyper-aware of them for so long. And the lack of trust is quite palpable.”

Wentworth says he has complained to his local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on several occasions. It aims to resolve difficulties or frustrations patients might face, but he says he has had mixed results.

With his new version of The Secret Garden, Wentworth is trying to inform young people about recognising when they might be being gaslit and how to advocate for themselves.

Healthwatch England describes itself as “your health and social care champion”, and works with the NHS to improve upon bad patient experiences.

William Pett, its interim director of policy, says what Etchells and Wentworth experienced can “unfortunately” happen all too often and it’s “common for conditions such as ADHD and endometriosis”.

Pett says the organisation hears most often from young people, women and those identifying as LGBTQ, who report being “less likely to feel listened to by healthcare professionals than others”.

Healthwatch England has called for reforms to the NHS complaints system so that patients can get quicker, more satisfactory responses with any concerns they raise, while the NHS has recently rolled out Martha’s Law, which allows patients and their families or carers to request a rapid review if their condition is deteriorating.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our renewed Women’s Health Strategy recognises medical gaslighting as a real barrier, particularly for those living with conditions like endometriosis, and our recently published Quality Strategy sets clear standards to ensure everyone – including disabled people – receives the high-quality, respectful care they deserve.

“Every patient deserves to be heard, believed, and treated with dignity, which is why our 10-year Health Plan sets out how we are putting patient voice at the heart of our NHS reforms.”

While Etchells wishes she was listened to on that first GP visit aged 13, she now feels “lucky” to be under a dedicated endometriosis team who do listen.

When it comes to the neuropathic pain in her legs, a result of the ligament damage, she says that on days where she can’t take strong pain medication due to work commitments, she has learned to pretend the pain is not there.

Ironically, she says: “I medically gaslight myself to get through the day.”

Senior doctors across England have voted in favour of strike action in the future over pay and pensions.

In a ballot, 76% of consultants who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA) said they would be willing to take industrial action, meaning they now have a mandate for strike action over the next 12 months.

It comes after resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, accepted a pay deal with the government to end three years of strikes.

Patients have seen hundreds of thousands of appointments cancelled due to industrial action over the past few years.

The BMA says no strikes need to take place if the government addresses the issues that include an “end to pay erosion” that it says is also affecting pensions.

Of 35,067 eligible members, 18,069 (51.53%) voted, with 13,695 voting yes to potential strike action.

Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta, co-chairs of the BMA consultants committee, said: “This is a clear message from consultants in England that they are not willing to tolerate the continued attack on their pay and professional value, and that, if necessary, they are willing to act.”

Health and Social Care Secretary James Murray said there was “no justification” for strikes given consultants are some of the highest paid public sector staff, and among the top 2% of earners in the country.

“After a 28.5% increase in basic starting pay over the last four years and with the average consultant now earning over £152,000 a year, there is simply no justification for strikes that will cause disruption to patients and the NHS.

“Consultants are an invaluable part of the NHS workforce, and we have been working closely with them to improve job planning and modernise their contracts. Strikes would only get in the way of this important work.

“I urge the BMA and all consultants not to rush into another cycle of unnecessary and disruptive industrial action.”

The BMA says average pay is still 26% lower in real terms that it was 17 years ago and that the final pay point of a consultant in England is £16,000 lower than that of colleagues in Wales.

Consultants in England last walked out between July and October 2023, which included two strikes co-ordinated with resident doctors.

Consultants and specialist doctors in Northern Ireland though have striking over pay in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, a ballot of specialist, associate specialist and specialty (SAS) doctors in England missed the legal turnout threshold.

Some 2,738 SAS doctors voted, a turnout of 43%.

However, the BMA said that of those who did take part in the ballot, 90% voted in favour of strikes.

Doctors on the island called off a planned walkout in January 2025 after a deal was reached covering two financial years from 2023-24.

That saw the awarding of an 8% pay uplift for the first year, along with another 6% rise from April 2024 and a further 2% from February last year.

The BMA said, despite those rises, doctors’ real-terms pay was still significantly below what it was in 2008.

Chair of the Isle of Man Medical Society Dr Prakash Thiagarajan said the latest vote was “a clear message that the current situation cannot continue”.

Pay erosion had left doctors “feeling undervalued and increasingly concerned about the future of the profession on the island”, he added.

BMA deputy chair of council Dr Emma Runswick said, in voting for strike action, doctors were “standing up for fair pay, recognition of their expertise, and the long-term sustainability of medical staffing on the island”.

Resident doctors in England have voted to accept the government’s offer on pay and jobs, bringing an end to three years of strikes.

The offer includes more training jobs, faster pay progression and a plan to cover out-of-pocket expenses like exam fees.

Patients have seen hundreds of thousands appointments cancelled due to industrial action over the past few years.

Some 53% of eligible British Medical Association members voted in favour in a referendum. The turnout was 57%, with 32,932 doctors voting.

The offer includes a 3.5% pay rise this year, as recommended by an independent review body.

Resident doctors will get backdated pay to 1 April 2026, worth an average increase of 4.9% under the wider package, according to government.

The pay rise would grow to an average 6.6% by April 2027, with a further ​increase to follow, the union ​said.

It means starting salaries will be just over £40,000, with the most senior resident doctors getting £76,500 in basic pay. They can earn thousands more each year for things like working unsociable times and additional hours.

In addition, 4,500 extra training places for newly qualified doctors have been promised and doctors’ exam fees will be paid.

The BMA’s resident doctors committee chair Dr Jack Fletcher said: “These strikes did not need to happen.

“We spent far too long at loggerheads with the government when a solution in everyone’s interest was waiting for us: more jobs for doctors, better pay for doctors, and a better-staffed NHS secured for patients well into the future.”

Health and Social Care Secretary James Murray said drawing a line under the disruption was good news for resident doctors, patients and the NHS as a whole.

Dr Steven Montgomery, BMA’s Northern Ireland resident doctors committee chair, said the “better pay and better working conditions on offer in other countries means we are losing doctors when we really need to do all we can to keep doctors working here”.

He said the “growing patient numbers without the necessary number of doctors needed to meet this demand and pressure” was a “perfect storm for our health service”.

“We did not think we would have to take strike action again so soon after the last walk-outs, but we were left with no choice.

“The onus is now firmly on government to engage urgently and meaningfully and present a credible way forward to avert strike action,” Montgomery said.

Farren added: “Doctors in Northern Ireland are lowest paid in these islands and we have been trying to work with the minister and the department of health to rectify that, to get what he terms ‘pay parity’.

“Unfortunately, despite all of that, we continue to not have pay parity and, as a result, we have been forced after years of negotiations to take unprecedented strike action.”

Dr David Farren, chair of BMA’s Northern Ireland consultants committee, said: “No doctor wants to take strike action.

“However, there is a palpable sense of anger among all secondary care doctors at years of significant pay erosion in return for trying to deliver care in an overstretched health system.”

Dr Leanne Davison, chair of BMA’s Northern Ireland SAS committee, said the health service can “no longer run on the goodwill of front-line staff”.

“Doctors are choosing to leave the health service or to reduce their contracted hours due to continued pay erosion and we can see the outworkings of this in services having to close due to staffing shortages.

“Those with the power to change this have so far chosen not to, which has forced hospital doctors into the unacceptable position of taking strike action in order to be heard.”

The health minister said to go beyond the 3.5% as recommended by the independent pay review recommendation would have “significant repercussions for nurses, teachers, police officers and indeed the entire public sector workforce”.

“I reiterate my commitment to ensuring HSC colleagues receive their recommended 26-27 pay uplifts, despite the unprecedented shortfall as indicated in my draft budget,” he said.

“There is simply no scope for pay awards beyond the recommendations of the review bodies in 26-27.”