There are millions of people in the UK with diagnosed thyroid hormone deficiency. We know just from this forum that so many are inadequately treated.
This petition aims to focus attention on this issue, and get the funding ball rolling for much needed better treatment options.
If you've already signed and shared, please give some quality thinking time to how you can spread the word even further.
We desperately need to reach those who may not even realise that they need better treatment.
Sadly, a very real and important question.
The number of signatures so far is not even as high as the number of members who are active on the forum in any one month.
(Obviously, some are ineligible. I'm only trying to make a point rather than achieve perfect stats!)
If each person got just one additional person to sign - we'd reach 10,000!
Signed, and thank you to all those on here that have taken the time to give me fantastic advice.
Peanut31
(Obviously, some are ineligible. I'm only trying to make a point rather than achieve perfect stats!)
I've just signed - for some reason before (without checking) I ASSUMED I was ineligible as I'm not a UK Resident. Thank you for the prompt 
I have signed this petition before but seeing the other replies you have had I decided to check again and I too was accepted again. Perhaps everyone should check.I had definitely signed before.
Could it be that people are forgetting that they need to check their inbox for the validation email, before their signature is actually added?
Just had an email saying my email was duplicated. So I had signed before. Sorry!! Hadn't seen the reply but will spread the word.
Same here ….
Just got my husband to sign , after all they do have to live with this aswell 👍🏻
For those with relatives - yes!
Not usually into blackmail, but...
No Christmas stockings, presents, drinks, dinner, chocolates or anything else unless you have signed the petition. And in the spirit of the season - passed it on to others.
Surely Wenceslas would have got the goodly page to sign? And one shepherd would get the rest to sign.
Absolutely! You don't have to be a thyroid patient to sign. Just someone who cares about and supports the cause.
Personal theory- because most people with thyroid problems are gaslighted into silence and don’t want to bother anyone…… I expect there are quite a few who have eyes rolled by some friends when it is bought up in conversation (hmmm I wonder why I think that 🤔)
I am not deterred but I know many are.
So true. The perception is that it’s a trivial issue. I also think that because it’s something that mostly afflicts women there’s a deep vein of misogyny that runs through how thyroid disease is perceived. And treated.
'The perception is that it’s a trivial issue. '
Very true. However, at least this petition was started by a (male) member of the medical profession who actually seems to care. As I've said before elsewhere, if we don't support his effort, we really will only have ourselves to blame.
I'd happily sign multiple times Red Apple. I've put the word out to a couple of friends who also have hypothyroidism.....but can only ask.
I just went and signed the petition, and got the response "You've already signed this petition".
Oops.
If anyone is unsure, just go and try again!
The worst you'll get is an email telling you that you have already done so. It's not an offence to forget or be not quite certain!
'It's not an offence to forget'
As thyroid patients, we have a valid excuse anyway... thyroid brain fog due to insufficient T3... which is what the petition is about!
Absolutely certain that I signed this petition and did the confirmation email acknowledgement, which increased the signature count, when the forum first requested members sign the petition, a while ago.
Using the same email account, I successfully signed again yesterday at 17. 28 p.m. and again did the confirmation email acknowledgement, which increased the signature count.
So far, I haven't been notified that I have duplicated my signature.
If I do not receive a notification going forward, that I have duplicated my signature, then there is some kind of error occurring, and must be the reason the petition has so far failed to reach the target number of signatures.
If I receive a duplication message I will let you know. It is over 24 hours now since my duplication signature was submitted.
Thanks for adding that reply. It does, surely, make us all; wonder if they are having issues?
Anyone from U.K. who comes on this forum and asks for information should consider signing the petition
That’s going to be way, way more than 10,000 people
Morning all, I did it just incase it had slipped my foggy brain but have already completed it and passed on xx
Sadly, this applies to most of the many petitions that I have signed over the years. I go back to see how they are doing, and the numbers are pathetically small.
I am guessing that a lot of people think that nothing comes of them, so don't bother to sign them. Another deterrent was that when you signed one you got bombarded with requests to sign others, to the point of it being irritating (Change.org was very bad for that, but I think that they have improved now).
I also think that this is a sign of the times where the majority want everything done for them, rather than exert any effort themselves.
'the majority want everything done for them, rather than exert any effort themselves.'
Signing a petition doesn't actually require much effort.
This petition has been set up by a member of the medical profession who actually seems to care and want things to change. If we don't support his effort, we'll only have ourselves to blame.
'when you signed one you got bombarded with requests to sign others,'
Signing a Government Petition has never done this thankfully.
I thought I'd signed but decided to do it incase I hadn't. I don't know if it's because I've already signed but I ended up going on circles with the petition and the confirmation email!
Could be as you say, you've already signed. Thanks for trying again though
I had signed and shared it weeks ago but when I saw your post I thought I'd check to make sure and no, it let me do it again, normally it would tell me I had already signed.........weird!
I just tried and it let me sign again too? Will duplicates be picked up later?
Did you use a different email address maybe?
I've just used the same 3 email addresses I used before and only one of them told me it was a duplicate?
`Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English)...
🤣 Spread the word for everyone to revisit 🤗
shared!
Thanks for the reminder, just signed.
I’ve just shared on Facebook again, but the link says it goes to Health Unlocked. For me it went through, no problem, but does it work for people who aren’t HU members?
Most or all links here go through a HealthUnlocked page which asks if you want to go where it is taking you.
If you click on a link and follow it, it ends up on the correct petitions page. You can then take the web address from the page.
I have put the actual link below - but can only do so by adding in extra spaces so HealthUnlocked doesn't see it as a link. If you want to use it, copy it and remove all the spaces.
https: // petition .parliament .uk / petitions /642233
Done. ✅
Sadly, I think that many people ask “what’s the point?” These days, it seems that the powers that be don’t listen. And from what I can read/see there’s an institutional deafness about thyroid matters that has existed for decades. We have a huge weight to push against and I think it’s easy to believe that “nothing I can do will make a difference.”
I completely understand what you're saying. But signing a petition doesn't actually require much effort. If we don't try, we'll only have ourselves to blame.
I agree. I signed some weeks ago and have also forwarded to friends and family asking they do the same. I don’t know how we otherwise get past inertia.
didn’t see till now, will share
Thank you for raising this I have now forwarded it to everyone in my family.
would it be worth somebody reminding people to sign when they have posted for help. A standard admin request perhaps for a while.
Great idea, although I suspect people will get very fed up with that. We don't want to discourage people from posting for help. 😊
I haven’t found any repeated requests on here annoying at all, I am probably more irritated by the numbers not getting to 10K yet. Some places ask for donations when you ask questions, this is just a signature so I’m sure most people would understand in these circumstances.
I tried doing that in the early days of the petition and I was “discommunicated” from HU because it was considered “spam” 🤷♀️
Yes I remember, it triggered the spam bot! Hopefully, this won't:
Please sign and share this incredibly important petition for research funding into thyroid treatments petition.parliament.uk/peti...
Hi Red Apple
There are 3 in our household eligible to sign.
We all use the same email address.
Does the petition register duplicate email addresses rather than duplicate names as two of us cannot add our names as we get the message duplicate email address?
🤗
Ah yes, everyone needs to have their own email address.
I think there are ways of setting up temporary email addresses... maybe our tech savvy admin helvella can help out here.
Yes - the petition checks email addresses!
You can sign up for a new Gmail (google) address in a few minutes:
support.google.com/mail/ans...
There are many other options but for this purpose that is as easy as any.
You can use their mail online in a browser - so don't need to add it to mail applications (e.g. on phones, or Outlook, or whatever). Indeed, you don't need ever to use it again - though it might be useful to keep a note of it in case something similar arises in future.
You might be able to add a new address to your existing email but it could get confusing. Much safer to keep it totally separate.
(Some people have the option of setting up additional mail addresses using Hide My Email - from Apple or something similar. But I doubt you are signed up to an Apple account?)
Just signed, this is the first time I had seen it. Perhaps make it a daily post, if there is a way to do this.
Signed 🤞🏻
Have you tried putting the link to the petition on the various Facebook groups ?
I don't belong to multiple FB groups, having more than enough to do as an admin here!
Really hoping our members will keep sharing it on FB, TwitX etc.
I too have limited "social media" activity but have propagated it repeatedly. Despite seeing very little obvious response.
It is something that is far better done by thousands of members than a handful of admins repeating the same posts again and again to the same people.
I don’t think we can worry about being a little bit pushy for this as we’re just asking for a signature. The polls on here were a great idea.
One problem is that It soon drops down and off social media threads of sites with lots of followers, and isn’t prominent at top of any web pages, it’s buried amongst and below other info and adverts. It did go out in a newsletter but was a bit difficult to spot.
I saw a petition on next door climb quickly, I have joined a few sites I don’t usually use just for this, every extra person you reach may pass it on to someone or family, it all helps.
signed.
Just checked and yes I have already signed this petition. Started to doubt whether I had or not. Not hard to do! and as others have said if you can't remember just do it anyway and if you have already signed it you will get an email informing you of this.
mmm how odd, I’m sure I’d already signed this petition but it’s let me do it again! 🤷♀️ Perhaps everyone should give it another go just in case.
Is it possible to get this on Thyroid UK and perhaps Paul Robinson’s FB group to give it some more airtime in front of other groups of interested people.
Absolutely, yes, please do!
Anyone who's on FB can post the link to any pages/groups. And because things on FB disappear from view so easily and quickly, it needs to be posted regularly (daily!) to catch as many people as possible.
It is on the Thyroid UK website:
thyroiduk.org/please-sign-t...
Though it doesn't seem very obvious to anyone who doesn't look carefully.
If you are a member of any facebook groups, feel free to pass it on. I won't use facebook.
can my friends in Kenya sign the petition, they are not UK citizens but have thyroid issues
I thought i had signed and i had.It came back duplicate.Well i just wanted to make sure,no harm done.
helvella RedApple A friend has confirmed my suspicion 🤔
Because some of the platforms that are used for petitions are asking for donations, people are starting get what I would call ‘petition fatigue’.
This could well be why this has been so slow in getting off the ground. So it needs to be in the first line of any post - it will cost you nothing. Feel free to use.
THIS WILL COST YOU NOTHING BUT A FEW MINUTES OF YOUR TIME
It is estimated 50% of people suffering from hypothyroidism are never diagnosed - and that’s not because it is mild it is because it is misunderstood. The effects of poorly treated and untreated hypothyroidism will manifest in other co-morbidities. This is not trivial and is costing the country billions in health care costs and lack of productivity of people who could otherwise be living full lives and contributing to society.
Please sign and share - and if you have signed please share.
Petition: Give more funding for thyroid research and patients after price hike
petition.parliament.uk/peti...
Thanks C-F. Will keep this in mind to use from now on. 😊
Just re-posted on Facebook and I’ve also sent direct messages to friends and the ones that I’ve come back and said done it I’ve asked them to also share and emphasise the fact there is no money asked for and no payment required.
I totally understand the issue about being badgered for donations. It puts me off too. Even TUK website has gone down this route big time now.
It is the number one thing on TUK.
So many causes- all worthy, but the general populace are reaching saturation point………
There are off course other similar issues always being highlighted. Hardly a week goes by without some ‘case’ being put forward for examination to government, MPs etc. There are absolutely loads of spin off charities, contributing services to NHS activities, to plug gaps which in my opinion, the NHS should be providing, either itself, or at least through government funding which should already be available to provide such services e.g. the dreadful state of the Care system. It’s a critical link to the optimum workings of the NHS itself. I feel every time I see a TV add for money for certain services, I recoil. It should all be much more ‘joined up’ than it is. I think the public were already reaching saturation point long since. Petitions also are part of this saturation. Hypos are already disabled by their fatigue of every possible type. I am not excusing the apparent sluggishness of the petition signatures, just agreeing with a wider viewpoint already expressed in previous replies.
This is exactly why this petition should be signed. The money is already there through the fine. It’s being asked for by an established researcher with, I feel, an enthusiasm absent from many so-called Professors of endocrinology.
Everything is in place (if the money will be released). Extremely little is required of us in this case.
Just want to re-iterate your words arTistapple, you put it so well!
This is exactly why this petition should be signed. The money is already there through the fine. It’s being asked for by an established researcher with, I feel, an enthusiasm absent from many so-called Professors of endocrinology.
Already signed and shared. For me, the wording of the petition could be better. Very few members of the public will be aware of the fine, or aware of the problems we face with gp's, or the cost of liothyronine. If the petition is posted to FB, then all you see as you scroll is the first sentence which doesn't scream urgency or relevance to the vast majority scrolling, possibly even those taking levothyroxine. Most people are not going to click to find out more unfortunately. Just my opinion
You cannot change a petition once accepted.
Can you not post a screenshot of the relevant part? (I do not know what the issue is as I never visit facebook at all.)
I agree the wording won't mean much to most people. But we can't do anything about that. People posting to FB, TwitX etc. can always add some sort of explanation when they post.
Here's what I wrote by way of explanation when a member here asked what it was about. Feel free to use, reworded accordingly wherever appropriate.
--------
The petition is asking the UK Govt for a percentage of the fine to be used to fund new research into thyroid disorders.
The fine was the result of a very long investigation (several years) into price hiking of thyroid medications by a pharma company. That price hiking resulted in many thyroid patients being denied the medication they needed because it became too costly for the NHS. We are still suffering from the fallout of this price hiking, by being denied liothyronine/T3 medication. Even though prices have since fallen, they are still many times more expensive than, for example, European countries. So patients are still being told that the medication they need to be well is too costly for them to be prescribed it on the NHS.
For the benefit of all UK thyroid patients, both current and future, please sign and share as much as you can. We need to get past that 10,000 sigs!
Also this explanation taken from a comment on this thread by Charlie-Farley:
-------
It is estimated 50% of people suffering from hypothyroidism are never diagnosed - and that’s not because it is mild it is because it is misunderstood. The effects of poorly treated and untreated hypothyroidism will manifest in other co-morbidities. This is not trivial and is costing the country billions in health care costs and lack of productivity of people who could otherwise be living full lives and contributing to society.
Done 👍
done
Signed it weeks ago and have got family and friends to sign. Shared it on social media as well to raise awareness
I’ve signed already ,but will certainly spread the word
I got my sister to and she got some friends too but have just asked her if her daughters will do it she’s sent them the link, hope we get there x
signed
signed
Have signed again, just incase I missed it (brain fog)…. Just wondering is there any celeb ambassadors who can push this petition. I was v impressed with Celeb Michelle Visage who was interviewed on Loose women on Thursday 30th Nov. She explained succinctly Hashimotos & stated there’s so much more to it than meds.
We need more people like her to get vocal, I felt she def wanted to get the ‘word out there’ !
need to get it on Facebook..? Have signed.
Absolutely! Yes! If you're on FB, please share it as much and as often as you can!
Today, tomorrow, the day after, the day after that, .... And everywhere you can - not just one place.
Have signed & thank you
Sorry, I was rejected because I am not a U.K. citizen/resident but I tried.
Yes, you do need to be a UK resident to sign this petition, but thank you for trying, we appreciate it! petition.parliament.uk/peti...
Here we are nearly 20,000 of us... so WHY
