When Jonathan Hammocks (53) from Grantham sustained a spinal cord injury, he was left paralysed from below the neck and in need of 24-hour care.
What followed was five years living in hospitals and care settings before he finally returned home this year. He is speaking out now to help stop others from living the same experience.
In April 2021, Jonathan was walking down the stairs to the landing and the next thing he knew, he says: “I woke up a few days later. I couldn’t talk, I was rigid, couldn’t move a muscle, and obviously scared to death.”
Based on his injuries, doctors believe he fell down the stairs, landing headfirst. As a result, Jonathan sustained a spinal cord injury in his neck, which has left him paralysed from below the neck, with no bladder or bowel function, and with chronic nerve pain in his arms.
According to national charity, Spinal Injuries Association every two hours someone sustains a spinal cord injury in the UK, however due to underfunding and fragmented services from the moment of injury their future is determined by chance rather than national standards, as Jonathan came to experience first-hand.
He was in hospital for six weeks, followed by six months of rehabilitation, after which he had nowhere to go as his previous upstairs accommodation was now inaccessible to him.
Jonathan was sent to a dementia care home, which had been deemed the most suitable place for his care needs that was within his allocated funding.
In the three months that he was there, Jonathan ended up in hospital six times due to a blocked catheter.
He said: “After about my fifth water infection, I ended up with a chest infection and got sepsis.”
When Jonathan’s catheter is blocked, he is at risk of autonomic dysreflexia, a condition that affects people with high level spinal cord injuries and that can lead to life-threateningly high blood pressure.
The inadequate care he was receiving at the dementia care home was becoming dangerous.
Still unable to return to living independently due to being unable to afford appropriate carers, Jonathan was moved to a complex care facility, where he remained for three years.
In that time, he had very little freedom, only managing to go out for two hours a week with an occupational therapist.
Jonathan said, “I’ve just basically lived in a room or a hospital ward for the best part of five years. I only got three hours of occupational therapy a week, and I used two of those hours to go to Tesco’s café and have a coffee.”
Now five years after his injury, Jonathan has finally secured the funding needed for live-in carers.
He has moved into his home, regaining his independence, and is back to living a fulfilled life.
Jonathan has received support from Spinal Injuries Association, who offer practical and emotional support to people with spinal cord injuries, and who are campaigning for an end to the unnecessary harm and suffering for those like Jonathan who are living with spinal cord injury in the UK.
Spinal Injuries Association said: “There is currently a postcode lottery in funding and care for those living with spinal cord injury.
“This is leading to distress for those we support and in some cases a danger to the individual.
“Spinal cord injury is a complex condition requiring specialist care and support and we are witnessing more unacceptable delays in accessing the vital services that people need.”
Reflecting on his new home, Jonathan said: “I’ve never been busier, there’s always something to do. It’s like a weight’s been lifted, I’ve adapted really well.
“The biggest bonus is being able to see my daughter far more in my own home, not a clinical setting.
“It’s just the feeling of having the freedom to go out and have two or three hours, even four hours if I need to.
“I’m just really happy being where I am.”
Learn more about Spinal Injuries Association at spinal.co.uk
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