Heartbeat: wound care praised by patient

March 26, 2019

This March, the Trust board heard from one of our patients, Mr Mark Mason, about his experiences of first class care from our district nurse team following a traumatic operation

Mr Mason, who is 60 years old, is a diabetic and injured his foot during his work as a plumber. After realising the small cut on his foot, he was mindful of the need to take extra care because of his condition. He was careful to clean the cut and keep it dressed but it quickly developed an infection. After a couple of courses of antibiotics, his injury got worse with his toe turning purple. He came into our emergency department, was referred to the foot clinic and required treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to remove a toe and the bottom part of his foot. Clearly this procedure was extremely distressing for Mr Mason.

Following his operation, he had his wound cared for by our district nurse team who visited him every other day at home. He was able to receive the latest treatment for wound care including vac and larva therapy and over time his wound has begun healing well.

Talking about his experiences to the Trust Board members, Mr Mason described how pleased he was with the care he received from the district nurse team. He said: “The district nurses have visited every other day since Boxing Day. I had trouble with the vac therapy equipment recently and one of the nurses was there within

10 minutes. They have supported me mentally, as well as physically dressing the wound. They understand it’s a massive trauma and their support has been vital.”

Professor Kate Thomas, Non-Executive Director, asked Mr Mason what the biggest thing was that the district nurses have done for him. Mr Mason replied straight away: “They sat and held my hand. They are at the end of the phone day and night. You can call at 1am and you get a response. They have been angels.”