Couple in battle for little Eliza's vital care are being 'pushed to breakdown'

THEY GAVE UP THEIR JOBS TO LOOK AFTER HER

- JOE LOCKER

ELIZA Rizk was born in 2021 to her mother, Naomi, and her father, Mark. She lives at home in Hempshill Vale with her older sister, Bethany, six.

Naomi says they knew Eliza's life would be different soon after her birth, during which she had to be resuscitated. After a long stay in Nottingham University Hospitals' neonatal intensive care unit, she now lives with profound and complex disabilities.

Eliza has level five cerebral palsy and is non-mobile, doubly incontinent and relies on feeding tubes, hoists and special equipment to live.

She currently has three personal assistants who help Naomi and Mark care for her.

Nottingham City Council's whole life disability team visited the family in August to reassess Eliza's needs, after which they proposed the reduction of her care.

The family expects her hours of care will be cut by 11 hours a week, putting their ability to care for Eliza at jeopardy.

Mark was forced to give up his job as an architect to help care for Eliza, while Naomi currently only works 18.5 hours a week as an occupational therapist.

"It is about giving us a break as carers, and enabling us to meet the needs of our other children, so we do not come to them later in crisis," Naomi said.

"We didn't expect the constant battle with health and social care services for the support that allows us to care for her safely at home.

"We are going above and beyond normal parenting. They are pushing carers to breakdown, and this leads to crisis. They want to wait until people are at the brink of collapse before they do anything."

Mark added: "They have left us in limbo. We have yearly reviews so we think: when is the next person coming to tell us we do not need this care?"