UHDB has now discharged 1,000 patients who have beaten Coronavirus and are now back at home with their families – thanks to the care they have received from staff at our hospitals.
Derbyshire and Staffordshire have been hit hard by the pandemic, and staff at the Trust are celebrating as they bid farewell to our 1,000th survivor, 87-year-old Gwyneth Campton from Swadlincote.
Gwyneth was admitted to A&E at Royal Derby Hospital on 20 June after suffering from chest pains and vomiting, as well as having a temperature.
Over the following nine days, she was cared for by the team on the ward before being transferred to our Discharge Assessment Unit, where she was looked after before being taken back to her care home.
Mother-of-two Gwyneth said that the staff at the hospital had been “wonderful”:
“They’ve been absolutely marvellous. They’re magnificent people, all of them. They’re the same as those that care for me at home, I’ve said it time and time again, they’re terrific people.”
Gavin Boyle, Chief Executive at UHDB, said: “It’s been a challenging few months, but by working together, our colleagues have made a difference to so many lives and I’m delighted that we’ve discharged our 1,000th patient who has beaten COVID-19.
“The pandemic has bought with it challenges that none of us could have predicted. We’ve had to change how we work rapidly to care for the surge in COVID-19 patients whilst maintaining essential services for others and keeping our staff, patients and public safe. In our hospitals, we’ve cared for those who’ve experienced the most severe Coronavirus symptoms, some of whom have required critical care and been admitted to our Intensive Care Units. Our communities have been hit hard by the pandemic, particularly in the early phases in March and April.
“I’m so proud of all my colleagues on each of our sites who have done so much to reach this milestone of 1,000 COVID-19 patients discharged. For all of our staff, our applause and cheers as patients leave our Discharge Units and seeing them reunited with their families, makes all of the hard work worthwhile.
“We’ve worked closely with our partners across the health and social care system in Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Everyone has played a vital part in ensuring people who have been seriously affected have been able to return to the care of their families or to their next place of care when they no longer require hospital treatment.”
The Discharge Assessment Unit, where Gwyneth was discharged from, has seen so many positive stories during COVID. Senior Sister, Lizzie Sidders, said it is always a huge boost to see patients discharged after beating the virus:
“We opened Discharge Assessment Units at our acute hospitals in Derby and Burton at the beginning of April with the aim of eliminating delays for patients who are fit to go home, creating more capacity in our hospitals and save lives.
“It makes me proud to work for an organisation that has worked tirelessly to adapt and change to achieve this. In such uncertain times, we have managed to discharge our 1,000th COVID patient which is a huge achievement for everyone involved.”
While Gwyneth has now been discharged from our care, the recovery for patients doesn’t stop when they leave hospital.
UHDB has been supporting patients with their continued recovery at home, with our ImpACT+ Service offering a ‘unique’ follow-up care package including home visits, telephone consultations and guidance and exercises for patients to enable them to continue making positive steps in their recovery.
And while the rate of new infections is gradually reducing across our hospitals, we are currently caring for 76 patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19.
