Patients who have spent time in critical care in one of the hospitals run by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) can now watch an informative video explaining more about their stay on the unit to help their recovery.
The film, which has been put together by staff at Ipswich Hospital, starts off with a tour of the bed space before explaining more about the equipment which is used to support patients. It then introduces the different staff who will have been involved in the patient’s care, including nurses, speech and language therapists, physios, occupational therapists, dietitians and consultants.
The video has been created to give critical care patients – many of whom are sedated during their admission – and their families an insight into the care they would have received to help with their psychological rehabilitation following their discharge.
Tamasin King, who is a critical care sister based at Ipswich Hospital, said: “A lot of our former patients find it really helpful to come back to the unit after their discharge so that they can see where they received care and ask questions about the equipment we use. As Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions mean that isn’t currently possible, we thought we would put together a video instead.
“Patients who survive a critical illness can be left with ongoing psychological issues. We hope that watching this video will help them with their recovery by explaining more about some of the care they would’ve received and the different staff who were involved in their rehabilitation.”
As well as watching the video – which is available on YouTube – former patients are able to access further support through ESNEFT’s two ICU (Intensive Care Unit) Steps groups.
The groups, which are currently meeting virtually due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), give people the chance to share their experiences, thoughts and fears and ask any questions they may have.
For more information or to join the Ipswich group, search for ‘ICUSteps Ipswich’ on Facebook, @ICUStepsIpswich on Twitter or visit https://icusteps.org
To join the Colchester group, fill in the online form or call 01206 742687 and leave a message.
Back to top