The granddaughter of a couple who have barely spent a day apart during their 67 year marriage has thanked staff at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) for arranging daily visits between them while they were receiving care on separate hospital wards.
Bob and Joan Fisher were both admitted to Colchester Hospital within three days of each other at the start of August.
The pair, who have rarely been parted during their 73-year relationship, found the separation difficult to begin with. But when staff heard about the couple’s plight, they sprung into action to reunite the duo as quickly as possible.
From that point onwards, staff took 92-year-old Bob, who was receiving treatment for an infection on Peldon Ward, to visit 88-year-old Joan on Birch Ward every single day. The visits continued throughout their stay until both were transferred to Clacton Community Hospital in early September to continue their rehabilitation.
Lorraine Boggis, the couple’s granddaughter, described the staff who arranged the visits as “amazing”, and said they had helped reassure both grandparents that the other was being looked after well and was making a good recovery.
“My grandparents have barely spent a day apart in their 73 years together, and wouldn’t even go to the shops separately,” said Lorraine, who lives on the same road as Bob and Joan in Colchester. “They are together 24/7 so understandably found it hard when they were both admitted to hospital.
“But the staff were just incredible and took my grandfather to see my grandmother every single day. Their kindness meant the absolute world and made such a difference. They were both so worried about one another, but the visits gave them the opportunity to see that the other was OK. They were just so happy to be given the chance to spend time together.
“The staff really went over and above to not just look after their physical health, but also their emotional wellbeing. They really were amazing and we can’t thank them enough.
“The care that both my Nana and Granddad have received has been fantastic. I know that the staff are busy, but they really have taken the time to show my grandparents that they care and to make their admissions the best experience they possibly could. It really has been wonderful.”
Melissa Dowdeswell, ESNEFT chief nurse, said: “We appreciate that coming into hospital can be daunting, so try and do what we can to help our patients feel safe, cared for and reassured. We are so pleased that our staff were able to reunite Bob and Joan during their admissions and that the daily visits helped to lift their spirits.
“We are really pleased to hear that Bob and Joan are making a good recovery and wish them both the very best for their continued rehabilitation.”
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