Debi Evans has always loved photographs of herself in her clean, crisp and smart nurse's uniform. At the time, that uniform symbolized a lot of things. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the uniform was a testament to the professional study and work experience she had personally put in to become a state registered nurse. Secondly, her uniform proclaimed that she was a professionally qualified nurse for the National Health Service. Woe to you if you were a nurse in the 70s and you didn't keep your uniform immaculately neat, tidy and clean.
The reputation of the hospital, the ward, the head nurse, and the nurses themselves depended on military-level smartness. In those days, it was forbidden to wear a nurse's uniform to the hospital because the uniform could not be soiled by touching the seats of a bus, train, or car. A trivial rule? No, this was a serious matter to minimize the spread of dirt and infection from outside the hospital. I went to the hospital in my plain clothes, changed into my uniform at the hospital, and arrived at the ward on time to be ready.
Importantly, Devi emphasises that she considered the daily care of patients an essential part of nursing. Laundry, bed baths, brushing teeth, tea and fresh water, flower arrangements and conversation with lonely elderly patients were a loving part of a nurse's job. Improving a patient's mental state, she says, goes a long way towards improving any other form of treatment.
Nursing embraced Debi's more caring side, but everything changed when Debi's life transitioned from professional nurse to stay-at-home mom, with all the responsibilities that come with it. Her duties as a mother increased as her sons were autistic and required more support and care. Even with this support from Debi as a mother, they did not receive proper attention for their special needs at school and were cynically abused. To make matters worse, Debi was soon challenged and blamed by aggressive social service staff who insisted that the problems were her own fault.
Extremely brave, Debi did not back down, she fought in court and after years of hard work won her case against the local authority and their failings, extracting a bloody apology from her false accusers. From this experience she learnt a lot about autism and the lack of guidance regarding the special needs of autistic children and adults. The knowledge she gained from her case and her tenacity in using it eventually led her to become a government adviser on autism.
On top of all the effort, stress and anxiety that the legal battle has brought to her family life, Debi also faces the unpleasant situation of her home regularly flooding with sewage after heavy rains. Despite gathering evidence – photographs, video footage, flooded neighbours, road closures and warning signs – Debi has been denied a settlement or compensation. She has found that Cornwall Council and South West Water are constantly tossing the ball back and forth over who is responsible.
Twenty years later, she still lives in a worthless, “risky” home and the insurance premiums are ruinous. The house is registered in the DG5 register.She remains uninformed as the items would be worthless when resold. She continues to fight for recognition and compensation but at the same time she has the strength and determination to become a highly respected reporter for the UK column.
Join us in this interview with our nursing correspondent, Debi Evans, to hear more about this brave woman and what drives her.
See also There's no smoke without fire A series co-hosted by Debi and UK Column Interview with Professor Christian Peronne.
