News
Congratulations Teresa!
We are delighted to announce that our very own Teresa Skinner who runs our support line has been shortlisted in the NR Times Inspirational Contribution Award.
Teresa has been the one voice of calm and sense in what’s become a totally mad world trying to get the care and support I’ve needed for years.
Teresa’s is often the first voice people hear when they call SIA for help. She has run the support line for eight years. Described by Nik Hartley, our CEO as “the lynchpin of SIA – the 111 of spinal injury”, the support line receives around 2,500 calls a year, averaging at 48 calls a week, from people living with spinal cord injuries looking for help and advice.
With more and more people struggling to have their basic needs met, Teresa frequently receives calls from people who are distressed and frustrated. For many, they feel they have explored all their options and call our support line in desperation as a last effort to receive the help they need.
This is in contrast to when Teresa started working in her role. She regularly handled calls about day-to-day situations, including how to acquire a blue badge, help to find accessible businesses and places to stay, and recommendations for wheelchair-friendly clothing brands and disability-friendly shoes.
Now, with the lasting impact of COVID-19, underfunding in the NHS, and the cost-of-living crisis, Teresa is handling calls that are far more complex and that take more time to get the right support. On a daily basis, she will receive calls about lack of care both in a medical and a home setting, withdrawals of funding for continued care, procedures not being properly followed in hospitals, and calls from the elderly with a new injury who do not know where to get support.
While the support line is not an emergency number, Teresa nevertheless provides a lifeline for people who have given up hope of ever receiving the support they need to live a comfortable and rewarding life.
Whether she is helping friends, family, and carers access information on how to care for their loved one, or an individual with a spinal cord injury who is looking for help from the support team, Teresa offers understanding, reassurance, and a pathway to practical support.
This is what some of our support line users had to say about Teresa:
It really helped to speak to Teresa, who was very kind and supportive at a time when I was becoming very frustrated and tearful at my inability to receive appropriate care at my local hospital.
Due to Teresa, SIA is the one place where I feel that I am actually understood with an incomplete spinal cord injury and further spinal damages and their ongoing increasing effects.
As well as people with spinal cord injuries, Teresa provides much-needed support to family, friends, and carers.
Previously, I felt like I was banging my head against a brick wall, but just hearing someone who understood and wants to help is helping my family to prepare for my brother’s discharge from hospital. My family are so grateful for the help you are giving us
As a charity we rely on the expertise, understanding and knowledge provided by staff like Teresa who offer a lifeline of support to people who are facing the challenges of living with a spinal cord injury.
Congratulations to Teresa for the nomination and being shortlisted for this award.
Click here for more information about the awards
Our support line
Our freephone support line, 0800 980 0501 is open for your call on Monday to Friday .
If you prefer to contact us by email, you can do so at [email protected].