Blackpool Man Praises World-Class NHS Teams
Written by John Williamson on 17/02/2021
A Blackpool man who spent 84 days in hospital with Covid has praised the “world class’’ NHS teams who helped him return home.
For Mr Tushar Das, the opportunity to continue his rehabilitation at home after falling ill with Covid-19 was a welcome return.
Tushar had spent almost three months in Blackpool Victoria Hospital, including three weeks in an induced coma before being recommended for the Home First pathway and being discharged to his home.
Mr Das admits that though he was initially a little anxious at the prospect of finally going home after such a long time, he was delighted with the care he received across the board, from every element of the hospital.
“I was very happy, the care was absolutely world class,” Tushar says. “Everyone from the admin team to the cleaning staff and of course the clinical staff, you couldn’t fault it. It was everything I wanted, absolutely amazing care.
“It is a worrying time being discharged, especially after 84 days in hospital. The Home First team met me on discharge at home and were here for about two hours on the day, they made sure that everything was okay and that I understood all the factors of being at home and being discharged.
“They were very thorough and they did mention that Home First was available if I needed help with washing and things like that. So I said I would take up their offer. It was very useful because they came twice a day for two weeks and it really helped having them there.
“Everyone that attended to me was very professional, very caring and empathetic, so it was really good to have that security twice a day. It is good to have them here to make sure that everything was okay for me.”
Mr Das has spent the last few weeks following the rehabilitation guidance which was given by the therapy team on discharge, including specialist exercises and has also been receiving regular visits from a community physiotherapist, and while he would happily recommend the Home First plan as an option for discharge, he is keen to see anyone not have to endure the pain he has gone through in catching the virus initially.
He said: “I am walking every day around the house, and I am doing about 600 steps a day on average. I’m going up and down the stairs a couple of times a day as well, so that is really helping expand the lungs. I’ll get short of breath, that is to be expected, but there is still a long way to go for a full recovery, but I will get there eventually.
“The care I received was absolutely amazing, they really were good staff. The level of care and commitment was unbelievable. I would highly recommend Home First to anybody that needs that kind of care after being in hospital.
“It makes me really angry when you get these false news stories that Covid doesn’t exist and it is just a scam. They can come and see me. I was there for 84 days, on a ventilator, I was put in an induced coma for three weeks, I was attached to a kidney dialysis machine.
“What more proof do they need that this is an absolute threat to everybody? It doesn’t matter how healthy you think you are, if it wants to bring you to your knees it will do, it doesn’t discriminate at all.”
Joanne Bunce, Home First Clinical Lead at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Trust said: “The home first service is fabulous. It offers the patient everything they need to remain safely at home following their hospital admission.”
