The June You Made a Difference team award goes to a team whose professionalism and easy rapport reminded a patient of the good in people in his last days – our physiotherapy team.
The critical care physiotherapy team comprises 19 staff in the Neurosciences Critical Care Unit (NCCU) and the John Farnham Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and is led by advanced physiotherapy practitioner, Ally Wood.
Ally and her colleagues provide respiratory and rehabilitation input to a critical care cohort of patients. They are pivotal to maximising their patients’ respiratory function, and they support tracheostomy weaning and the rapid step down of patients to the ward. They also provide patients with early rehabilitation, including early mobilisation and activity whilst still ventilated.
The neurosciences physiotherapy team is led by neurosciences ward team leader, Abby Edwards, who, along with 11 colleagues, provide physiotherapy to patients across wards A3, A4, A5 and C7.
Abby and her colleagues treat acute and longer term rehabilitation patients who can range from NCCU step down, to patients ready to go home immediately after surgery. The neurosciences physio team plan the quantity and level of rehabilitation their patients need, many of whom have life changing conditions, and they also work on various initiatives to maximise patient flow through the wards.
The team’s professionalism is reflected in the winning nomination from the relative of a patient, extracts of which told us:
“After surgery to remove an aggressive tumour from my brother's spine, Abby and Ally worked closely on an often daily basis with my brother. He was unable to move, apart from the slight movement of his head and right arm. He also had awful trouble breathing and needed to have his lungs aspirated several times a day.
“Throughout the month they worked with him in A5, NCCU, A3 and then again in NCCU, they were cheerful and so professional.
They dubbed themselves the "A Team" and shared stories and jokes and had an easy rapport.
“In the last week of my brother's life, his tumour was growing fast and he lost the ability to speak. Abby and Ally worked tirelessly with him to aspirate his airways so the voice box on his tracheotomy could work.
“In his last hour of life he asked me to thank the whole physio team, in particular Abby and Ally, for all they had done for him; how they had helped him to forget the living hell he was enduring, helped him to remember the outdoors where he lived and the good in people through their kindness.
I will always be grateful that he had some lovely people to share his final weeks with when I was not able to be with him.