Matt: I think it’s more important to find someone I trust because they’re technically
saving my life when I stop breathing, basically.
Patrick: My responsibility, with regard to Matt, is making sure that, principally, that his tracheostomy is working and his breathing
is at all times functioning, in addition to that, I help him run his life in as normal
a fashion as possible, helping him with the physical things that he can’t do. Such as
picking up a telephone and using a mouse on a computer, clothing him, bathing him. I’m his safe pair of hands.
Matt: it’s a very personal job, you have to get on with the person you work with because they’re with you 24 hours a day sometimes.
You have to have a sort of personal relationship with them otherwise the dynamic just doesn’t work.
Patrick: I have not done specific care work,
but I’m a father, so I understand about the ins and outs of body functions and things.
I’m also patient; with Matt’s condition being unable to do things physically for himself,
a degree of patients is essential.
Matt: I found it quite good with Patrick; he has no previous experience with care, which is sometimes a good thing. He doesn’t have
any bad habits, starts with a fresh mind, so that’s great. My other PA, Lisa, who’s
just done her training, she has actually done care work before, which is beneficial because
she knows the ins and outs of things.
Patrick: Matt’s very good to work with, he’s very patient when you make a mistake. Different circumstances throw out different
challenges, and he can guide me and the others through difficult things as and when they
happen, particularly with the use of the slings and the pulleys. It’s never intimidating,
because Matt is there to help in the process of me helping him.
Matt: I try to make it sort of relaxed because it can be a bit nerve-wrecking for the carers when they come in.
Julia: With Matt, I do his tracheostomy training
and that involves how to change and inner tube, caring for the stoma, dressing changes,
neck ties, and suctioning the tracheostomy. Today, Lisa, one of Matt’s new PA’s is
going to shadow Patrick on a shift. Just before she started that we recapped the training
from 2 days ago, so she was showing me how much she remembered about how to suction a
trachy. Lisa: When I came on Tuesday I was really
really worried because I’ve got 7 years’ experience in all care anyway the only thing
I haven’t come across is the tracker but Julia was fantastic as the trainer she just
covered everything so thoroughly that I’m really confident with working alongside Matt
now
Julia: In order to delegate healthcare tasks I need to be confident that the person that
I trained is able to deliver that task safely. Bearing in mind that Lisa did the training
2 days ago and, that 2 days ago it was the first time she ever done it she did very well,
she was confident and calm she had 1 or 2 little questions she wasn’t afraid to ask
and that’s really good. We’d much rather people asked to clarify than they muddles
their way through and get it wrong.
Patrick: I found the training with the other members of staff was very observational rather than them teaching me it seemed a lot to take
on over 2, 10 hr shifts, you are chucked in at the deep end but you are fully equipped
to deal with the situation following that training, so I thought it was good and comprehensive
and more than adequate. I’m very confident in helping Lisa it does remind me or where
I was only a few months ago, but I feel completely confident in being able to teach her and I
think if she has got the right temperament she will pick it up very quickly and I’m
sure she will.
Julia: The beauty of delegated healthcare task being taught to PA’s, means that Matt’s got so much more flexibility in his care arrangements
and he can come and go as he pleases throughout the day and we can much more efficiently use
the healthcare professionals that we have got because the budgetary implications of
having a qualified nurse her 24 hrs a day would be impossible. For Matt it would mean
he would have to live in a nursing home, not a care home and nursing home with nursing
care. Matt: as a recipient of personal health budgets,
I’ve found that it’s had a major impact on my life, it’s given me a lot more choice
and independence in what carers I choose what they’re trained in and how they assist with
me. I think without the personal health budget, it would be for more difficult to live out
of my family home, and live independently with my partner also to set up my own business.
I think it’s given me the sort of skills to move ahead with my life.