Heartbeat July 2020

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FROM THE CHAIR HELLO Welcome to Heartbeat. As you sit back and relax to read this month’s edition we do hope you’re managing to take some time out to recharge over the summer. You will find stories of bravery, recovery and compassion in your July edition of Heartbeat. Discover how one of our junior doctors has written a children’s book, meet our Empowerment Award winners and find out how the nursery team are making a commotion in the ocean. Enjoy! Contact us Communications Team Ext 5303 swbh.comms@nhs.net Communications Department Ground Floor, Trinity House Sandwell Hospital Published by Communications Team Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust Designed by Medical Illustration, Graphics Team Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust Kindness and compassion must remain at the centre of what we do I am greatly looking forward to August when I will meet with representatives from the groups and the staff networks to select our shortlist from the huge number of nominations received for our annual Star Awards. This year was our biggest year ever for nominations which is perhaps no surprise. Thank you to the 700 of you who took the time to enter a team or colleague for one of our prestigious awards. People who have stood out during the COVID-19 pandemic will no doubt feature heavily in our shortlist but we will not forget all of the great work that has been done for patients and families throughout the rest of the year. Next month is the opportunity for you to cast your votes for four of our big awards – Clinical Team of the Year for Adults, Clinical Team of the Year for Children, Non-Clinical Team of the Year and the esteemed Employee of the Year Award. As we work through our restoration and recovery plans I want to thank you for your continued dedication to our patients and to each other. This year has certainly taken its toll and I am so impressed with the kindness and compassion that you have shown during this time. As we prepare for a second surge and put our plans in place for this winter I know that many of you will feel anxiety and trepidation. Our Trust Board is committed to supporting you all through the next few months, continuing with the wellbeing support and enhanced mental health offer that has been put in place. Please take the time to make use of these resources. We are also committed to ensuring that the learnings from the pandemic are taken forward. We know that some ways of working have changed for the better, enabling patients to have more convenient access to services. Our task is to embrace and embed the improvements we have managed to deliver. Social distancing and handwashing remains vital in our fight to contain the virus so thank you for continuing to reinforce this message to your friends and family as well as to the patients you see and treat. We continue to take a cautious and considered approach to easing restrictions on our sites such as visiting arrangements and re-introducing volunteers on our wards. We hope to begin to restore some of this in coming weeks. As the country opens up it is more important than ever to stay safe and protected and set a good example to those around us. Richard Samuda, Trust Chairman Submit an idea If you’d like to submit an idea for an article, contact the communications team Ext 5303 swbh.comms@nhs.net Stay updated We send out a Communications Bulletin via email every day and you can now read Heartbeat articles throughout the month on Connect. Don't forget you can follow us on: Chairman, Richard Samuda
Dad reveals 58-day battle with deadly virus in hospital COVID-19 Jonathan with wife Maria Yague and their children (far left) Nathan Marty Yague, aged 20 and (far right) Seth Kenny Yague, aged 11 A dad-of-two has thanked colleagues at Sandwell Hospital for saving his life after he battled coronavirus for 58 days. The family of Jonathan Yague described his recovery as a “miracle”, as he was finally discharged on 2 June. He said: “I am so grateful for the care and the quick-thinking of staff working at Sandwell Hospital. Their actions most definitely saved my life. They assessed that I needed ventilation as my condition was rapidly deteriorating and then liaised with staff at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester to ensure I was transferred there quickly and safely. “The last thing I remember is being intubated at Sandwell Hospital on 6 April. I was put into an induced coma and finally woke up on 18 May. I asked the nurse what date it was and when she told me, the realisation of what had happened kicked in. I just cried. My wife Maria has been filling in the gaps for me about what happened, but I remember how I was unable to breathe.” The 48-year-old was put on a ventilator in critical care after he was assessed in our emergency department and then in the acute medicine unit. Jonathan, whose wife Maria works as a sister in imaging, quickly deteriorated despite having no underlying conditions. Seven days later he was transferred to Glenfield Hospital, where some of the sickest coronavirus patients are treated using a specialist Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine. “I prayed day and night that he would get better,” Maria recalled. “At the same time I also had coronavirus and our eldest son was suffering with symptoms, although he tested negative. We weren’t hospitalised, but it was just a horrendous situation.” Within a month, in what Maria describes as a miracle, Jonathan’s condition started to improve. He was transferred back to Sandwell Hospital’s critical care unit where he continued to recover. Jonathan was finally moved out of critical care on 23 May and recovered on two wards, Priory 5 and Lyndon 5, until he was discharged. He added: “I am so glad to be home, but I am still recovering and trying to regain my strength. I am learning to walk again as I lost a lot of muscle mass. I am still short of breath, but I am getting better. “I am forever indebted to those who have cared for me throughout this terrible ordeal and would also like to thank all my family, friends, and colleagues at work and those who had supported my family during this difficult time. They all prayed non-stop for my recovery. Maria would also like to thank her colleagues within Imaging for their support.” Jonathan has a warning for those people considering breaking social distancing rules: “I’ve suffered terribly. I had multiorgan failure, and was bleeding through my mouth and nose - I was close to death. When I see people ignoring social distancing measures it makes me cringe – I can’t believe the photographs I’ve seen of crowded beaches. “I fear there will be a second wave which will be much worse than what we have experienced so far. People need to think about what they are doing and maintain social distancing. Whether that’s when they are visiting their local supermarket, going to a park or even popping out to see a relative. I hope that my story will make people think about what they are doing to protect others from this virus. I am just thankful to be alive and be with my precious family.” Dr Nick Sherwood, Joint Clinical Lead, Critical Care Services, cared for Jonathan during his time at Sandwell Hospital. He said: “I'm overjoyed that Jonathan is back home with his family. His journey was particularly long and difficult but it is patients like Jonathan who really lift the spirits of the whole ICU team when we know they've gone home. However, I also share his concerns about a second wave. COVID-19 is not beaten. It has not gone away. If we follow the advice about social distancing and hygiene we can significantly reduce the risk of other people ending up as sick as Jonathan.” 3
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Page 7 and 8: The patient’s Unity - coming to a
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Page 27 and 28: Pulse News in brief from around our
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Heartbeat July 2020

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