Maria Eagle MP praises “inspirational” NHS worker

Maria Eagle MP praises “inspirational” NHS worker

Local Labour MP Maria Eagle has praised the dedication and hard work of a Liverpool physiotherapist who cares for some of the most seriously ill patients in the North West.

As the country prepares to mark 70 years since the creation of the NHS, the Garston and Halewood MP visited Verity Ford, Senior Physiotherapist at Aintree University Hospital, to recognise the work she does with patients requiring ventilation support in the hospital’s Ventilation Inpatient Centre.

Verity, from Halewood, has worked at Aintree for 12 years and leads the delivery of care for patients who are weaning from or require long-term tracheostomy ventilation. Many of these individuals have life-limiting illnesses and all are at risk of serious harm if their care is not given safely.

Verity said: “We’re all incredibly proud of the work we do at Aintree and it was great to be able to showcase the Ventilation Inpatient Centre to Maria. What a way to celebrate seventy years of the NHS and the great strides forward that have been made in the care we are able to provide.”

Maria Eagle MP said: “I was honoured to meet Verity and her colleagues and to learn more about the vital work they do. They are the NHS at its very best and it was inspiring to hear how they care for such seriously ill patients and work with families and carers to ensure care is provided in a sensitive way which meets the needs and wishes of their patients.

“As the NHS celebrates this milestone birthday I would also like to pay tribute to the hard work and devotion of health service workers across the country.”

It is through the work of people like Verity that patients who require ventilation support are able to receive this care at home, which would have been inconceivable 70 years ago when the NHS was founded.

The visit came about after Karen Ward, Consultant Physiotherapist, nominated Verity as part of a scheme to celebrate NHS workers.

Karen said: “Verity combines a tireless drive towards providing the best experience for the patient and their family, with the utmost dedication to securing effective treatment. Helping patients safely return to their own home after months in hospital, with continuing complex medical and nursing needs, has been at the heart of the improvements Verity has made within the service. It is Verity’s unmatched care and compassion that enables our patients to overcome the many difficulties that they face.”