The NHS Through The Eyes of a
Disabled Person
Speaker
Mary Laver
The NHS
May I firstly say that, in my opinion, I think
the NHS is a wonderful organisation.
Thank you all for working in the NHS
because with out people like you the NHS
would not be.
The Aim Of This Talk
• Communication, listening and learning
from each other.
• For you to ask any questions of a disabled
person who uses your hospitals.
• To speak to a care worker about the caring
of a disabled person at home.
• To help make you aware of the feeling and
thoughts of a disabled person who enters
your hospital.
The Views Expressed
Before I start, I would like to express, in the
strongest possible terms, that the
views expressed are mine and none
else's. Other disabled people that
attend your hospital may totally
disagree with the comments I have
made.
The time this discussion should take is
approximately 45 minis.
What do we mean by the word
“Disability”
There are two definitions
British Council of
Organisations of Disabled
People defines ‘Disability’
‘Disability is created, not by a person’s
impairment, but by the disadvantage,
or restriction of activity, caused by a
society which takes little or no account
of the person who has that
impairment.’
The Disability Discrimination
Act (1995) defines ‘Disability’
‘A physical or mental impairment which
has a substantial and long term adverse
effect on a person’s ability to carry out
normal day to day activities.’
Disabled and going into
hospital, how do I feel?
• Very scared. People are going to be
totally responsible for my every day
living.
• These people do not know me or my
condition personally.
• They do not know the best way to
move me.
• They don’t know how to move me to
save causing me pain.
• They do not know the best way to put
me in my wheelchair or on the
commode.
• How to feed me.
• Put me comfortable at night.
To name a few. I hope they will listen to
me when I tell them how to do these
things.
So now you have this
“Disabled” person on your ward
what next?
Lets look at the problems I shall
bring onto the ward and how
you may solve them.
Fear
• When I go into hospital, which I do on
a number of occasions, I am scared.
What am I scared off? Not the
treatment, the MRSA bug, but the
nursing care I am to receive. Sounds a
terrible thing to say. Why am I scared
of the nursing care? I feel that due to
pressure of time, I do not get the
quality of care I used to.
• Nurses need time to look after me, a
lot of time, and they quite simply do
not have it.
• Meals. I have to have these fed to me,
again more valuable time that simply
nursing staff do not have.
• Getting me up in the morning. I am
nearly always the last to be washed
and dressed, why? Because it takes 2
nurses and 1 1/2 to 2 hours to do this
job properly.
• I have to talk them through the way I
have to get washed and dressed.
• I use a ladies bottle for weeing in. If I am
out of my chair I have to be put back on my
bed using the hoist to do this. This can take
a lot of time and 2 nurses.
• Night time. Oh I hate the night time. Some
night staff are not very happy when they
have to do the little things to make me
comfortable. They are always wanting to
rush away. When I ring for help, usually for
a wee…it can take ages for them to get to
me….pain in my tum is a result or worse, a
wet bed. Not the nurses fault. I just need so
much care.
• The chatter of the night staff keep me
awake.
• They always seem to have loud shoes to
walk in.
Please Remember
The person who knows more about
handling their disability lives with it 24
hours per day. ‘The disabled person’ Be
guided by them. Be patient if a task is
taking a long time.
Equipment
Expensive Electric Wheelchair.
Question…Are your staff familiar with
moving an electric wheelchair? If not,
why not? What should you be doing
about it? Are you insured if you
damage the persons chair. Mine cost
£13000! I have no option but to come in
my electric wheelchair so is it unfair
that you dissolve your self from the
responsibility of looking after it.
The one person who knows how to get
in and out of their electric or manual
wheelchair is the person in it. Be
guided by them. I have found a lot of
staff think they know better than me
on this one. Wrong.
Hoisting
• Hoisting can be scary and painful in
the hands of someone who knows you.
What about someone who does not
know you?
• Remember. Ask the person who is
being hoisted if there is a way to hoist
them that is better for them. You will
be surprised they may just well know
more than you.
• On a number of occasions time and
pain could have been avoided if I had
being listened to.
Amby Lift
• This piece of hospital equipment is both
uncomfortable and scary if you are the
patient sitting in it..
• When using this equipment always push
your patient in front of you not pull them
behind. They may well fall off and you will
not notice them. ALWAYS have the wheels
on when moving around the ward.
Physical Help
I Need Physical Help
(That is an understatement)
• Yes I need help and lots of it. It takes 2
hours of nursing time with two nurses
to get me up in the morning. Think of
it 4 hours of nursing time each
morning I am in the hospital just to get
me out of bed!
• Think about that. Who knows the best
way to give me that help? Me and my
home carers.
• Who is not in hospital with me to give
that help, right, my home care
workers. Why not, because they are
paid for the job they do and the
hospital will not employ the agency to
send them in.
• Result. Pain, discomfort, lots of
valuable time wasted. See where I am
coming from?
I Cannot Use My Hands
• I cannot use my hands, what does that
entail?
• Feeding. I have to be fed. A night
mare. Feeding me takes up a very lot
of nursing time due to a swallowing
problem. Now where is my home care
worker ay!
• I have twice had a problem when a
nurse giving me my lunch has been
told I can feed myself and left me.
What happens when I need to summon
help when I am in bed? The call
button. I cannot press the normal call
button and you do not have a easy
touch one. What do I do, nothing but
your staff have to waste time going
over all the hospital to find one with
an easy touch. Would it not be better
to have such a device on the ward at all
times?
Equipment &
•
•
•
•
MRSA.
Example of the equipment I will use
while in hospital.
Nurses call button
Hoist/Sling
Commode
Bed and bed side table
Which Of These Can Spread
MRSA?
All of Them
• Nurses call button. Have you given
that one any thought? Does anyone
clean the nurse call button ever?
• Hoist. Nurses seem at most times to
have not a clue how to use them.
When I, a user of many years, try to
advise them I am told to leave it upto
them.
• Cleaning the hoist. Does it ever get
cleaned. I have never seen this happen
yet.
Hoist Slings
• I worry when I am put into a hoist sling.
Why? Because that sling will have been
used on other patients, usually on bare skin,
and not be washed afterwards. What a
thought.
Solution
• When I arrive on a ward I wish the sling I
am to use be given to me clean, in a sealed
wrapping and left with me all of the time
during my stay & for my use only.
Beds and Side Lockers
• I can assure you that beds and lockers
are always not properly cleaned when
they are vacated, Believe me, I have
seen this happen on many occasions.
Commode
• I have to use a commode for toileting
and showers, well I used to until the
MRSA scare now I bring my own.
• Why used to. Have you ever seen the
commode cleaned after use? I have
not.
• Cleaning the commode seems to be
one of those jobs missed out.
Language
‘Being Politically Correct’
Use of wrong language can
deeply offend. Please remember
that.
So what is the right language?
Wrong
Right
• Handicapped /Cripple • Disabled/physically
impairment
• Sight impairment
• Blind
• Person with a learning
• Downs syndrome
difficulty/impairment
• A person with an
• Deaf
hearing impairment
• Wheelchair dependent
• Wheelchair bound
Advice when speaking to a
disabled person.
• The person who knows their disability
the best is the one living with it 24/7
listen to them.
• When speaking to someone who is in a
wheelchair, make eye contact with
them by bending down at the knees.
• Don’t shout. We are not deaf.
• When we ask a question Do not give the
answer to the person we are with unless
indicated to do so.
• Please do not assume that because we
have a speech impairment we are not
very bright. We can understand what
you are saying to us. Can you
understand what we are saying to you?
Confidentiality
• People with a disability may well not
want to discus their medical history or
any other personal matters with a
nurse or doctor in the hearing of others
on the ward. Agreed?
• Putting the curtains around the
bed does not stop sound!
• Ask the patient if they would like to
go into a private room to fill in their
medical details.
• If the patient has a speech impairment
make arrangements for someone who
can understand them to be present.
• Never pretend that you understand
what is being said to you. Ask them to
repeat what they said as many times as
it takes.
Tablets, The Giving Of
This one is my favourite….
• I take with me into hospital my medi pack.
• The rules of your hospital say that if a
patient uses a medi - pack the patient
must beable to give the tablets to
themselves.
• I cannot physically do that and you
will not accept my medi – pack.
• Daft don’t you think!
To Sum Up
I would suggest the following
• Be prepared before hand for the
disabled person who is coming onto
your ward.
• Have any special equipment they need
at the ready.
• Have a sling clean and ready on their
bed if needed.
• Above all…Listen to them and take
note of what they say. They may make
your life much easier.
Home Care Worker
• A Home Care Worker should be used
on the ward if it is in the best interest
of the patient and staffing.
• That they should come in at agreed
times.
• That they ……………..
Miscellaneous
• Getting back onto the ward…Can we have a
call button outside wards at wheelchair
height.
• Waiting areas. No wheelchair places.
• Ambulance waiting areas. No assistant
when required with eating, drinking, loo
ect. This is needed mainly for elderly people
waiting on there own for an ambulance.
• Deaf people can be missed when called at
the out -patience.
• Lumber puncher. Will you please NOT do
these on the ward.
That’s All Folks!
Mary Laver