In 1993 Dorothy White, a retired Senior Civil Servant, found herself in the difficult position of having to place her mother in care. Dorothy had been her mother’s main carer for many years but, as her mother’s needs had grown, Dorothy realized she had reached the stage where it was no longer possible to give her the full time support she needed.

Reluctantly she set about looking for a care home but found that the process was neither easy nor straightforward.

Already distressed with feelings of guilt and worry, Dorothy was further dismayed when she felt that she was being left out, and stonewalled, at every attempt to become involved in key decisions concerning her mother’s welfare.

Her account is not an isolated one but what makes it even more compelling is that Dorothy White had worked in the (then) Ministry of Health as a key player in Aneurin Bevan’s team.

As someone who had been heavily involved in the setting up of the National Health Service she felt she knew her way around the care system. It horrified her to think that if she had encountered such difficulties, at such a distressing time, what little hope there would be for the ordinary person.

Consequently, Dorothy White, OBE, resolved to dedicate her energy to ensuring that others would not have to endure the negative experiences she had. In 1993 she founded The Relatives Association and set up a national helpline to give her much needed support to others.

R&RA founder Dorothy White with staff in the 90s

Sadly, in 1998, Dorothy White passed away but her valuable work goes on and, nearly two decades since she founded her charity, it has continued to grow becoming the Relatives & Residents Association (R&RA) we know today.