Hospital support worker Nadia shares what it’s like to work at Royal Stoke Hospital to celebrate 75 years of the NHS

Nadia Mirza, a Revival Hospital Support Worker, is this week celebrating the National Health Service’s 75th birthday on 5 July, by sharing what her role has been like at Royal Stoke hospital over the last 8 years.

She’s part of the team working on our hospital discharge service. They help to remove barriers keeping people from being discharged home safe and well.

Working with ward discharge facilitators, track and triage team and adult social care to complete things like home safety assessments, fall assessments, provide essentials like food and medication, support with finances and so much more.

Without this support times would increase and put further pressure on local NHS services. 

Nadia says it’s been an honour to support local people and vital NHS services.

“I love my job”, said Nadia.

“Supporting people and making a difference is something that really matters to me. Working alongside a vital NHS service allows me to do that every single day.

“People come into hospital for a number of reasons, and it’s our jobs not to judge and to understand the environmental factors that could’ve attributed to their health’s decline or be preventing them from being discharged home.

“Things like finances and someone’s home situation can all have an impact on their health and wellbeing, so that’s why we provide solutions to help bring people’s homes back to life.”

(Pictured: Nadia on a ward at Royal Stoke Hospital)

Nadia says that over the years the hospital and the service has changed to suit the community’s needs.

“When I first joined the service, it was very small”, added Nadia.

“Then over the years it has grown and changed. We now support discharge facilitators, adult social care, and provide support to people at bedside and in the community.

“I’ve also personally seen a lot of strain faced by the hospital who are battling with an older population with complex needs, the demand to discharge patients home quickly to free up bed spaces and reduce waiting times, while still keeping people safe and well.

“They’re also having to deal with people who want to live at home for as long as they possibly can. Meaning more people need additional support from services or rely heavily on their family.

"In the last year we've also seen an increase in the number of people who can't afford to heat their home and as a result has made them poorly.

“All of these put massive strains on the NHS service and the team of people who work there. It’s why Revival support by providing our knowledge and experience and putting things in place to facilitate quicker, but still safe discharges.

“It’s so important we support our NHS services because so many people rely on them!”