In this day and age of advances
in research and technology it is depressing that many of the spinal cord
community still have to struggle with very basic needs. Innovations such as the Exo skeleton and
breakthroughs in research involving stem cell therapy are clearly hugely
positive and genuinely exciting.
However we at TCC Ltd continue to
hear and get involved with very depressing stories of individuals who have to
fight to obtain funding and struggle against a system that seems illogical and
unfair. The geographical variances in meeting the criteria of continuing health
care is something that we regularly have to work with. Clients in neighbouring
counties with the same level of injury and same care needs receiving
dramatically different funding is very familiar territory to us. The use of
District or Community nurse input for an inflexible bowel regime is also
something we hear a lot of; reinforcing TCC Ltd’s strongly held belief that
clients should have their own bespoke team who can provide for all of their
care needs. Even worse are those who receive inadequate care through “drop in”
visits often through a domiciliary care provider who has little specialist
knowledge of spinal cord injury; thus placing the individual at significant
risk of harm.
The system creaks on and there
are positives on the horizon with personal health budgets becoming a reality
and more joined up thinking in some areas with health and social care budgets
being shared.
The SIA do fantastic work in the
area of funding with Brian O’Shea happy to take up the battle to inform and
educate health care professionals on some of the issues faced by spinal cord
injured clients. TCC Ltd are proud to support the Spinal injuries Association in all of
the work that they do and look forward to our continued relationship in
promoting the rights of individuals with a spinal cord injury.
Chris Freestone – Director, Total Community Care
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