Specialist Sister in ICU Rehab. BEM.
#FNFScholar21
. Deputy Chair National Rehabilitation Collaborative. Founder
#Rehablegend
Campaign. All views my own.
So this happenedโฆ.
I hope I will do
#TeamICU
@UHP_NHS
#proud
I promise to talk to everyone I meet about all the amazing
#Rehablegend
patients, loved ones & colleagues I have the pleasure, and privilege to know.
NB I will be wearing my badge & taking extras ๐
#RightToRehab
At the till in supermarket โฆ
โYou arenโt
#ICU
Kate are you? โ
โErr โฆ. Yes โ
โ I remember your voiceโฆYou made me feel safeโ
Patient starts crying, lady in queue behind me starts cryingโฆ.
So we work out a time for her to come back into
#ICU
To meet the
#MDT
team that cared for her and to see the
#Secretgarden
that she remembers
Do not underestimate the
#LittleThings
Do not underestimate the impact of your voice
#ICURehab
#ICU
If you asked me in Sept what I would be doing in March.... I would never have said building an
#ICU
in a week.... however that was pre
#Covid19
.
@UHP_NHS
teams are working around the clock to prepare, train, sim, procure, support, manage and care.
Never been more
#Proud
๐๐ป๐
Covid is giving me wrinklesโฆ. Lots and lots of worry lines.
I am going to be dreaming of poor sats and sick patients all night, because today was a day I will probably never forget.
Please get vaccinated and please donโt think itโs over. Itโs not.
#Covid_19
We're so proud to see these wonderful Plymouth people recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
Congratulations
@TantamKate
, Tessa Ricketts,
@MarkOrmrod
, Muriel Stapleton and everyone else on the list!
Wall oxygen outside in the
#Secretgarden
in full use this week
@UHP_NHS
Pretty cool๐
(Means that patients are no longer dependent on cylinders and that has both cost, environmental and stress implications for staff ๐)
The much loved โSecret Gardenโ based in the ICU is undergoing a huge transformation. Joint funding from
@PlymHospCharity
@UHP_NHS
and
@NHSCharities
will see the garden completely transformed into the UKโs first bespoke outdoor rehab space. Read more:
Today I got to wear a
#Rehablegend
badge to Buckingham palaceโฆ.
Amazing day and incredibly special that I was able to take my mum (an
#NHS
legend since 1969)
Happy wed all โค๏ธ
When I started the
#Rehablegend
campaign, I bought 100 badges & my goal was to give out 50
I was worried, would it be useful? Meaningful?
To date
#Rehablegend
has:
17K tweets & 40.2 million imp.
4K users
6000 badges awarded
Thank you so much
๐ฅณ๐๐ป๐
#PositivePowerOfSoMe
Just to be clear - Ventilators do not save lives.....they are just clever hoovers.
The
#NHSs
greatest assets are its people...
It doesnโt matter how many ventilators/beds u have without
#MDT
teams people will still die.
People save lives
#TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork
Vaccination of NHS staff is now a central issue. Iโve had my 3 jabs. I believe ALL colleagues should be vaccinated (unless a clear medical reason for not) to protect patients & each other. I believe in listening & responding compassionately to those hesitant, to address concerns.
I have just been awarded a Florence Nightingale Leadership scholarship!
Thanks so much
@FNightingaleF
for the opportunity
Super excited, bit scared & thrilled!
Prepare yourselves
@UHP_NHS
the
#RehabRevolution
is starting!
#Rehablegend
My mum asked me what she can do to help- I said feed the kids one dinner a week
So every week she does a pickup, supports homework, feeds them, letโs me work late and gives us a packed dinner
As a working mum - this is a huge
To all the loved ones supporting
#TeamNHS
- thank u
โโI held their hand as they died, so they werenโt aloneโโ
This is what a
#physio
colleague told me .... we shared a look then we had to carry on.
Then I met the
#Dr
who had told their loved ones.. we shared a look & had to carry on.
Just 1 of the 100,000
#ThoseWeCarry
Never ever underestimate the impact of a hair wash / shower for patients in hospital
Itโs literally the best bit of my job....
NB if u havenโt got wet socks/trousers after supporting a shower... u havenโt used enough water!
#ICURehab
#LittleThingsAreActuallyTheBigThings
Every year, my mum sends me this picture of me in NICU.
35 wks + Gregory Box CPAP, cared for by Dr P Dunn & team.
My mum (the NICU Reg) is sure that CPAP saved me...... just like it has saved thousands of people this year.
Thank u
#Mum
, Dr Dunn & Team
#NHS
for saving me โค๏ธ
I wandered past the
#ICUrehabgarden
earlier & found 2 patients enjoying the sun. Itโs hard really to put into words how thrilled I am that these
#freshair
adventures are now just accepted as a part of daily ICU practice. 12 months ago it was just a vision- now itโs normal! ๐ฟ
NHS Parental guilt...
Leaving before they wake & returning just before bedtime
Refusing cuddles unless you have showered
Knowing that the hands that cared for them since birth might infect them
NHS Parenting was hard before - now itโs brutal
#ICUNurse
#COVID19
Today I have received the most beautiful & generous messages - thank u so much
I wanted to share one of my favourites
This
#Rehablegend
had a 100 day ICU stay
Here he is taking his first steps in
#ICU
& now tonight he is toasting our
#ICUTeam
at home!
What a
#RehabLegend
! ๐๐ป
I love baking and my weekly treat is cooking with my children.
I am the person who volunteers to make birthday cakes, tray bakes & brownies.
You can imagine then how excited I was when my friends gave me this....
#BlownAwayByCake
#CakesWithMedals
Hugely
#Proud
to announce that the
#Rehablegend
campaign just won a Patient Experience Network Award
@PEN_NEWS
for Innovative use of technology!
#SoMe
can be a huge power for good, improving patient experience by sharing patient stories to innovate & empower
#PatientStories
To celebrate our first
#COVID19
patients going out into the
#SecretGarden
for
#ICURehab
we are having a big
#Rehablegend
badge send out this week!
If you need badges for your awesome
#MDT
#Rehab
teams go online and order yours
Keep being amazing ๐๐ป๐
To all the people who have felt itโs ok to be abusive after this tweetโฆ
Try to keep in mind that I am just an
#ICUNurse
asking you to take care and to consider vaccination to protect yourselves and others.
Covid is giving me wrinklesโฆ. Lots and lots of worry lines.
I am going to be dreaming of poor sats and sick patients all night, because today was a day I will probably never forget.
Please get vaccinated and please donโt think itโs over. Itโs not.
#Covid_19
She walked out to a wall of applause from her loved ones &
@UHP_NHS
staff
97 days in
#ICU
, 109 days in hospital
I canโt pretend I didnโt cry.... I also wonโt feel guilty that I did
#Teamwork
got this
#Rehablegend
through & crikey I am proud to be part of
#TeamNHS
#1BigTeam
Today has felt tough
So if you are tired today, rest tonight and remember you can just try again tomorrow
#Rehablegend
Teams
#Rest
and look after each other
Take care all ๐๐ปโค๏ธ
What happens when a doubly vaccinated
#ICU
nurse gets covidโฆ.
Bleach +++
Washing +++
PPE +++
6 hourly cold/flu meds
Chocolate
Soonโฆ steam cleaningโฆ
I will be ready for August and even have extra immunity!
In your face
#COVID19
I am terrible at taking leave, in fact I am pretty useless at stopping
However for the next 5 days I am going to try really hard not to respond to emails....
I will be at the beach
#VitaminSea
planning the next
#Rehablegend
adventure
@UHP_NHS
Happy Tuesday all ๐โโ๏ธ๐๐ฆ
Emotional day
@UHP_NHS
The
#SecretGarden
- saw a husband take first steps into his partners arms
- facilitated a final wish
I know itโs just a patch of green but some days it feels like the most special patch in the universe.
When u woke up this morning how was ur mouth; Coated, dry, teeth feel a bit rough? Smelly breath? Now imagine u havenโt been able to brush ur teeth because u canโt raise ur hands off the bed. This is the reality for some Patients. Be a
#Rehablegend
support oral hygiene ๐ฆท
I just added a heart to the covid memorial wall of a patient who we lost this week.
I did it because I want the world to bear witness to the
#Covid19
loss across the
#UK
I wasnโt prepared for my tears
Please please wear a mask and get vaccinated
#VaccinesSaveLives
Rehabilitation
#MDT
teams are fundamental to getting patients home
Rehab is not the โnice to haveโ itโs not the icing on top of the cake .... itโs the icing in the middle . It holds the cake together.
Now is the time to invest in
#Rehab
across the
#NHS
...
@AHPLeader
My very clever hubby has gone and got himself a job in the same city that we actually live in!
(That may not sound impressive but when you are a military wife, itโs pretty exciting)
Happy Friday all ๐
#MilitaryFamilies
After a week of abuse of twitter after I promoted vaccination and highlighted that actually covid isnโt over
This tweet from
@NHSuk
has made me smile.
Thank you to the team managing the
@NHSuk
account.
You are awesome - keep going ๐๐ป
Despite covid the incredible staff, patients & volunteers have raised the funds to create the ICU rehabilitation garden that I designed at Derriford Hospital. Really looking forward to getting started with the build of the project
#gardendesign
#gardendesigner
@BBCMorningLive
This is why I love the
#NHS
....adapt & overcome!
They said... we have no decorations.... 4 mins later poodolph appeared!
Just because you are in
#ICU
doesnโt mean you canโt make patients smile whilst exercising!
Advent has started at
@UHP_NHS
๐๐ป๐
#Rehablegend
๐๐ป
This month I have
- taken my work email off my phone
- charged my phone on the opposite side of my bedroom
- bought an alarm clock
Itโs pretty remarkable that 3 very small changes have utterly changed my perspective
Try themโฆ and read this โฌ๏ธ
Right..... I have spent a week eating biscuits and swearing about COVID19.
Today it stops.
I am building a ๐
#Rehablegend
team to build simple resources for
#PICS
for ALL Hospital staff for
#POSTCOVID19
.
#ICURehab
is going to have to adapt & overcome...
Whoโs in? ๐๐ป
One of my best mates is in
#ICU
Properly unwell
I am trying very hard to be pragmatic, calm & sensibleโฆ. Itโs impossible
To
#TeamICU
everywhereโฆ thank you on behalf of families and loved ones
Keep being
#Awesome
and itโs not just a job - I know how much you care ๐๐ปโค๏ธ
This is dedicated to my colleagues this week that have contacted me with stories of loss/pain.
Stories that leak out of us when we know we are safe and people understand.
Take care
#Rehablegends
and know that you are seen, heard and loved.
For people who arenโt sure what flattening the
#COVID19
curve is all about...
We quarantine to protect the vulnerable and to protect the
#NHS
We need you to:
-wash your hands
-avoid large gatherings
-self isolate if unwell
- please stop stealing alcohol gel
#ICUNursePleas
I have an open door policy, that means I have the privilege of speaking to a lot of people in
#TeamNHS
I shall be sharing this poem with them
Take 2 mins to Read it and reflect
If you do not see it in practice - look harder.
Then challenge, support, lean in and lead
Imagine the scene....
U have
#Covid
, u are on oxygen & your
#Rehab
team are trying to get u to go for a walk....
Suddenly they start the music....
โI would walk 500 miles....โ
After laughing... you walk further than you have in a month
What a
#Rehablegend
๐๐ป๐
@UHP_NHS
Take 10 secs to imagine u have just woken up in ICU
You canโt breathe, speak, move or drink
When you open ur eyes u see shadows & feel sure someone is trying to kill u
This will be the
#POSTCovid19
reality for thousands of people
1/3
Impact of ICU Delirium (short ๐งต)
Called to see a patient, โdeliriousโ combative, bed bound - โgetting worseโ
Pmh- 6 week stay in hospital, PTSD, separation anxiety, long โค๏ธ history
When I met them - hardly audible voice, hallucinating, hyperactive delirium, distressed
โA โtsunamiโ of coronavirus survivors could overwhelm NHS rehabilitation servicesโ
Yes but we must not forget that everybody needs
#Rehab
#Rehab
has long been forgotten- now is the time to properly invest
#RightToRehab
#NoRehablegendLeftBehind
I cannot make
#Covid
go away
I canโt make your staffing/bed pressures improve
I can however send your
#MDT
team a
#Rehablegend
Xmas gift box for being
#Awesome
I know
#ReindeerRingtoss
was good last yearโฆ. But I think this years box might be even better ๐ ๐๐ปโค๏ธ
Released ๐
In the queue for lunch at work today we came to 3 conclusions
1. Eating food like this doesnโt count when you are working in
#Covid
areas
2. Even if it did you would burn it off over 12 hours ๐ค๐ป
3. Sometimes itโs ok to eat like you are 5
Sunrise - 24 hours apartโฆ
Now back in
#Plymouth
where I can do the most for my amazing patients, loved ones and colleagues.
Thank you so much to everyone for their coronation support - it means so much.
Happy
#Rehablegend
Sunday all ๐ช๐โค๏ธ๐โโ๏ธ
We lost a
#Rehablegend
...
I cannot try to pretend that it doesnโt feel like we have been punched hard in the sternum.
We carry on because we know that
#Rehablegends
still need us and we continue in the memory of those that are lost.
#ICURehab
#RehabMatters
@UHP_NHS
Look at this
#Rehablegend
Wow, wow and wow again
Never, ever underestimate someone who wants to get back to the sport they loveโฆ just help them to
#AdaptAndOvercome
๐๐ปโค๏ธ๐โโ๏ธ๐ด๐ปโโ๏ธ๐โโ๏ธ
Richard Andrews from
#Hereford
will make history this weekend when he becomes the first person to take part in a triathlon - whilst breathing through his neck.
Right.... u know I said I had a special Jan
#Rehablegend
treat for u all....BIG RED BALLS!
The
#Rehablegend
#BallsToCovid
2021 campaign is launched with 250 balls for
#Rehab
, free for any team!
Why u might ask?
Because Covid is tough & massive balls make everyone smile!
This volunteer
#Rehablegend
has been here every morning giving out face masks
@UHP_NHS
for months!
Every day cheerful, lovely and makes me smile.
Just want to give a huge shoutout to all the
#teamNHS
Volunteers who are
#Awesome
.
Happy Christmas and thank you ๐๐ป
Today we launchโฆ
8
#Rehablegend
patient stories, shared to highlight the impact of rehabilitation
10๐ฃ tactile โfirst stepsโ billboards across the UK in 7 cities
1 โfirst wordsโ radio campaign
1 website
1 petition
#RightToRehab
It only took 2 yearsโฆ. ๐ช๐ช
Real patient footprints on posters across the UK
#Rehabmatters
- and many people donโt even know what it is.
Go to to watch the videos of these patients taking their first steps!
#RightToRehab
@SHazzard
This is fantastic news .... but I would also like to highlight all the other
#NonCovid
patients that need
#Rehab
too
#Covid
has allowed us to shine a light on the impact & value of
#MDT
#Rehab
across a patient journey
Now we need
#Rehab
provision for everyone
#RightToRehab
NHS Chief Executive Sir Simon Stevens has today announced a ground-breaking online rehab service 'Your COVID Recovery' โ if youโre recovering from
#coronavirus
and still need help, you can get support from the comfort of your own home. ๐๏ธ
#NHSBirthday
This week has been busy
@UHP_NHS
โฆ
The
#SecretGarden
room is taking shape
I know it looks massive but just imagine an ICU bedspace in a walled garden ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ณ
Everyone is working hard and the bunting is still up!
Happy
#Rehablegend
Friday all
For my leave I have swum, read amazing books & napped in the garden
For the first time in many years... I have also not looked at emails
Sorry if I owe u an email/text/whatโs app/DM.... I promise to enter the real world again soon
Take care all & keep being
#Rehablegends
Tomorrow with massive trepidation/anxiety I am speaking at the launch of
#NHSParlyAwards2020
(Imposter complex ๐คฏ)
There is 1 thing keeping me going - the incredible
#Rehablegend
army of patients, loved ones & colleagues whom I am determined to try to do proud ๐ค๐ป
#RightToRehab
@PenelopeFirshma
Anyone who thinks that therapies are not essential in COVID19 needs to be given a firm welcome into a red zone & shown the patients
The
#MDT
team will be the thing that makes these patients better because anyone with any common sense knows
#Teamworkmakesthedreamwork
#RantOver
Right... We know that
#MDT
teams save lives , reduce length of stay, improve patient experience & patient outcome.
So help me to understand why we nationally consistently under invest?
Itโs like having a recipe & deliberately ignoring it.
Follow the recipe, build an
#MDT
I am asking for a rehabilitation lead and rehabilitation strategy for every hospital and health board in the uk
I am petitioning for my patients, I am petitioning for my loved ones and for yours.
#RehabMatters
#RightToRehab
Read why here โฌ๏ธ
'Rehabilitation services have been seen as the 'nice to have, the icing on top of the cake'.
I fiercely believe that rehab is the icing in the middle of the cake, it cements everything together.'
@TantamKate
on the
#RightToRehab
campaign for
@ICJnews
Dear Hospital Managers everywhere
This is how exciting chairs are to people who work in
#TeamNHS
โฌ๏ธ
They fundraise for chairs because thatโs how much of a difference seating systems make
Invest in appropriate chairs and see your length of stay reduce.
#ChairsMatter
#Rehab