A woman who grew up in Herefordshire has sparked a national campaign to allow disabled patients to have their careers visit them in hospital.
Nina Parry, who grew up in Herefordshire but now lives in Swindon, has received over 23,000 signatures for her petition calling on the government to continue care visits for disabled patients in hospital.
Ms Parry, who attended the the Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, lives with primary progressive multiple sclerosis and has two carers who visit four times a day, which she says enhances her quality of life significantly.
Before her diagnosis of MS, Ms Parry said she enjoyed an active lifestyle, including regular body pump classes and riding horses.
Although Ms Parry's local hospital, Great Western Hospital, has now said it will welcome careers into their wards, she is campaigning for this to be made common practice, adding that "it needs to happen everywhere throughout the country".
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Ms Parry, who still has family and friends in the county, said that many people in a similar position often don't know where to turn, and she feels "she has to help them".
Nina's Law would allow patients with a variety of conditions to continue receiving help from their appointed carers.
"Based on my personal story and hundreds of others, we need to address this critical issue. Changes to the Care companies' contracts and practices could significantly bolster the quality of healthcare while simultaneously saving the NHS substantial funds.
"We urge the NHS and the government to stipulate that CHC (continuous health care) is a mandatory specification of a care company's contract.
"They must support disabled patients to have their carers continue their care visits on hospital premises while they are admitted. This is not just a matter of health management; it's a matter of preserving personal dignity and upholding fundamental rights of disabled people like me."
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Along with the army of support through the online petition, Ms Parry has received the backing of her local MP. However, she requires over 100,000 signatures for the matter to be heard in parliament.
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