Swindon woman's Parliamentary petition over carers' hospital visits

With just weeks to go, Nina is calling on members of the public, disabled people, families, carers, healthcare professionals and organisations across the UK to sign the official UK Parliament petition calling for guidance to ensure care workers can continue their care visits to disabled patients while they are in hospital.
Nina launched the campaign after her own experience, which left her with the realisation that nobody should ever have to come out feeling worse following their hospital visits.
She said: “I started Nina’s Law because I don't want another person lying in a hospital bed or sat in their wheelchair wondering where their carer is, wondering how they're going to manage, or being expected to cope without the person who knows their needs best.
“This isn't about replacing nurses. It isn't about taking over clinical care. It is about continuing the care that someone already receives every day and allowing their regular carer to work alongside the hospital team.
“The support has been incredible, but now we need to turn that support into action. We need people to sign the parliamentary petition.”
Nina’s campaign has already attracted nearly 50,000 signatures through its Change.org petition, demonstrating the level of public support for the issue. However, those signatures do not count towards the official UK Parliament petition threshold.
The parliamentary petition needs 10,000 signatures to receive a response from the Government. If it reaches 100,000 signatures, it can be considered for debate in Parliament.
Nina has set Friday 2 October as the campaign's target date to reach the crucial 10,000-signature milestone.
She said: “Nearly 50,000 people have already told me they support Nina’s Law – but Parliament needs to hear from you too.
“We have nearly 50,000 people who have signed my Change.org petition because they understand why this matters. That is an incredible number, but those signatures cannot be transferred to the official parliamentary petition.
“This is why I am asking everyone who has supported Nina’s Law to take one more step and sign the parliamentary petition. 
"If you have already signed Change.org, please sign the parliamentary one too. If you haven’t signed either, now is the time.
“I want to reach 10,000 signatures by Friday 2 October. That is our immediate target, and every single signature matters.”
Nina’s Law was created to address the gap between the care a person receives at home and what can happen when they are admitted to hospital.
For many disabled people and people with complex needs, their regular carer knows their routines, communication, medication, personal care requirements and individual needs. 
Nina’s campaign is calling for care workers to be able to continue providing that established care in hospital, working alongside hospital staff rather than being treated simply as visitors or companions.
The campaign has already seen examples of hospitals putting elements of this approach into practice.
Great Western Hospital in Swindon has been particularly supportive, with the hospital working collaboratively with paid and unpaid carers. 
The hospital has stated that carers can undertake specific responsibilities in a ward environment while clinical staff retain overall supervision of the patient.
Nina says her own experience of seeing the approach working at Great Western Hospital has reinforced why she wants the same care to be available across the country.
“I have now experienced Nina’s Law working in practice, and it makes me incredibly proud. When you have the people who know you best beside you, it can make such a huge difference during what can be an incredibly frightening and vulnerable time.
“But it shouldn't depend on which hospital you happen to be admitted to. If it can work in one hospital, there is no reason why we shouldn't be looking at how we can make it work consistently across the UK.
“I don't want Nina’s Law to be something that only exists in a handful of hospitals. I want every person who relies on care to know that their care can continue when they need hospital treatment.”
The campaign has also received support from people with lived experience, carers and healthcare professionals. 
Nina says messages from families and carers have repeatedly highlighted the uncertainty people face when they need hospital treatment and are unsure whether their regular care will continue.
Alongside the growing public support, Nina’s Law is being backed by businesses, charities, organisations and prominent personalities across the UK, many of whom have used their own platforms to help shine a light on the issue and amplify Nina’s campaign.
Among those backing the campaign is Dr Hilary Jones MBE, who has publicly shown his support for Nina’s Law. 
The campaign has also gained backing from businesses including FI Real Estate Management, Hillier Funeral Service, Mumby’s Live-In-Care.
The issue has previously received national media attention, with ITV West Country News reporting on Nina’s campaign and highlighting the concerns around disabled people having access to their regular carers while in hospital.
People can sign the official parliamentary petition at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/762645
 

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