Episode 13: Behind the Frontline - A Carer’s Truth on Why Nina’s Law Matters

In this powerful episode of Nina's Law: Let's Talk Care, we speak with Meg, an experienced carer who has worked across multiple areas of care, from community support to her time as a healthcare assistant in hospital.

Meg shares an honest and emotional insight into what it’s really like on the frontline, opening up about the challenges she faced in hospital settings and why she often felt that patients weren’t receiving the level of care they deserve.

We explore the gap between intention and reality in healthcare, the pressures staff are under, and the impact this has on some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

Meg also explains why she is proudly supporting Nina’s Law, and why she believes change is urgently needed to ensure patients are treated with dignity, compassion, and proper support, especially when it comes to involving the people who know them best.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Hi, it's Nina from Lisa Store doing another podcast. Let's talk care. Meg, I've got you tweet Meg. Meg's got a lot to say. So Meg tell me who you are.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

My name's Megan. I have been in care for 24 years on and off in all different types of scenarios and situations, uh, brain injury, rehabilitation, uh domicillery care, working in the hospital and also did four years of care with my name with end of life as an at-home personal carer.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Okay, so how have you found hospital care with the people that you've been looking after?

SPEAKER_01 0:52

In the hospital as a health care assistant, I found it quite difficult because I felt like everything was very rushed, everything you could didn't have lots of time to spend with people. I mean something as simple as going downstairs and maybe getting them a coffee or a newspaper or something was especially difficult on an early shift when you were trying to get everyone up washed and dressed and things. So you did sometimes feel a bit deflated not being able to.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Were you allowed to get them washed and dressed?

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Yes, we were, um but obviously if there was if they weren't assessed in for certain needs like waiting and things like that, then we have to wait until they've opened to physio papers and people, and then we would be allowed to make them. So what do you think about meaning it's not what I'm talking about what I'm trying to do? I think it's a fantastic idea because you would have a group of people coming in to provide care for an individual who already worked with them, who know their needs. Yeah, exactly. So they would have access to people that know them, you've got continuity of care, you've got people that or carers, sorry, that are coming in to an individual, making them feel respected, making them feel relaxed, happy, yeah, exactly. And bank in the face, yeah, someone that they know because hospital can be a really, really scary place for a lot of people. So having people that you know, people that you trust, people that know your routines, your care needs, and things like that makes it so much better to be in a hospital.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

Yeah. And I've the the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, amazing. They are literally the pioneers of what I'm trying to do. They are now their life careers to go in and care for their clients with complex needs. Amazing, so good. I've got um a lady coming over next week to talk about it. It's great what they're doing. But everybody needs to be doing this, not just Swindon. It needs to be across the UK, everywhere. Yeah. And um there's so many people out there suffering in different conditions. Young, middle-aged, old. It's dreadful, it's so sad. They need this to have them. They need the continued care from their family member or a care company. Who does? And it needs to be written. What I'm trying to do as well is have it written into the contracts for the care companies that they will continue to care for their clients when they go to a hospital.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Which would be brilliant because, as I said before, hospitals are a scary place at the best of times if you're not feeling well, if you're waiting test results and things like that, that can be a really nerve-wracking time for someone with complex needs who's potentially left in bed for long periods of time because they haven't been obsessed with moving and handling and things like that. Um, if they haven't got their team coming in, they could potentially spend long periods of time in bed, they could be left till last, as it were, because they've got more additional needs that perhaps need a longer time slot.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Well they could be a single carer or a double handler carer car. Yeah. Everybody's different. Yeah. No, and everybody has different needs. Everybody uses different equipment and everybody has um different times that they see their carers. But those times need to be sorted out with the staff now, as well. Um and agreed with the plan maybe running the ward that this can happen for the carers to go in for their complex. Yeah. It's quite simple. So it's the two things I'm trying to do. Happening as law across the whole of the UK, in all hospitals, and the care contracts for the carers changed so that all carers that all agencies will continue to care for their clients when they go in. Makes sense. And it would be great if it happens. So I'm like, please keep signing, sharing my petition. I've got two petitions, um, one on change.org and the other one is on the parliamentary site, which is amazing. It's on my TikTok, on my Facebook, near Facebook. It's everywhere, really. So I'm just sign, sign, sign, share. I knew the numbers to prize, really. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

It's so important. I know when I was looking after my nan, when she went into hospital multiple times, she was obviously in her 90s, so hospital admissions were coming quicker, uh coming quicker and quicker together. Um, but every time she went into hospital, her mobility got worse when she came out because she'd just left in bed for the first the minimum was about three, four days the first time she was left in bed when she when she was like, she'd get fresh at all. We were really, really proud of the fact that the whole time we were caring for at home, even for the last six months when she was back down, she didn't she didn't develop any crash as well. But when she was in hospital, she would develop more televisions and um crashosaurs, unfortunately, and she'd end up coming home with her family treatment while she was in. It was it was difficult because she went from 91 years old walking around, making her own teas, coffees, dinners, doing her own laundry, everything to fracturing her hip and passing away three and a half years later. So it was really difficult. Unfortunately, her mobility would just get worse because she would just get back. I think the longest, unfortunately, was about seven days, seven, eight days she went in with lighter and yeah, seven, eight days that she was in bed for um we were just as well. And if it was her blood pressure that's causing problems, so they'd be worried obviously because she was lying down in bed all the time when she finally did stand up.

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Potentially, yeah. I mean having her care.

SPEAKER_01 7:46

Yeah, I mean I I'd go in in the mornings and I'd be with her generally from about 10 o'clock till two, but unfortunately, because I was I I was just getting carers allowance, I couldn't afford the parkings at the hospital um for long periods of time, so I would only be able to go for set periods of time during the day, and then my mum would go up in the evening. Um but I mean I'd help her with her washing and dressing and things like that, but if I attempted to try and get her out of bed, I was told no, because she hasn't been assessed, she hasn't had they haven't checked her over and things like that. And this was all stuff I used to do at home with us. I used to get her out of bed every morning, um starting off using zimmer frames and things like that to help her walk into her chair and then eventually progress into SARA steadies and things like that. So you know what you were doing.

SPEAKER_00 8:37

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 8:37

Yeah, and as well as well, being in care and working and rehabilitation, and I was also a help and safe uh moving and handling trainer as well. So I had used all of that equipment so knew how to use it and used to train other people to use it. So it was frustrating, I have to say.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

I think it all does happen, which it will. Guys keep signing and sharing, um then that would save all the problems, wouldn't it? Yeah. You'd be able to go in freely. I'm really hoping that people take on board what the Great Western have done. Yeah. Amazing. They are the pioneers and they are supporting the carers, they're bringing up all carers, giving them discounted parking, they're giving them discounted food, they want the carers to come in, they'll help with people that have complex needs. And that's how it should be. That's what it should be for.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

I still think if I'd have been able to be getting especially with my nanny, if I'd have been able to go in from day one and do what we did at home, say getting her out of bed and things like that, her mobility would have been a lot better coming back coming out again, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Well that's why this needs to happen now, guys. We need this to happen now, not in a few weeks we need to stop the adding to further some ASA mass. Anyway, well, thank you so much for coming today. Thank you guys. And um, yeah, like I say, please keep signing the show. Sign, sign, sign, sign, sign. Yeah, yeah. And that's all I'm asking for. Not your money, just signatures. So signage.