Family thankful for our support with autistic daughter’s treatment

Sarah, a patient with a history of autism and disability was admitted to St Mary’s Hospital following left tibia and fibular open segmental fractures, which resulted in the removal of an intramedullary nail (IMN) and the application of a circular frame.

Sarah was to be discharged to her mother’s home and was referred to HomeLink Healthcare on Friday 19th December for weekly pin site care to ensure the skin around the metal pin areas of the frame didn’t get infected.

Sarah didn’t understand what was going on and was really anxious about going back into hospital. As she was at her mother’s home, she was not registered with a GP which made the process of arranging district nursing visits more complicated.

Sarah’s mother had attempted to register her daughter at her own GP surgery so that she could get interim nursing care, however, the process was far from smooth. She and her daughter were anxious and lacked trust in the healthcare system.

Recognising Sarah’s individual needs, HomeLink Healthcare provided support. We helped to register Sarah with a new GP, provided relevant information and arranged visits from district nursing. We worked collaboratively with the hospital teams and acted as a liaison between the Orthopaedic department, the GP surgery and the family until district nursing care was available and the mother was happy with the transfer of care.

Throughout the process, HomeLink remained supportive, with our nurses regularly contacting the patient and family to provide reassurance. To address the family’s concerns, our team contacted Sarah’s orthopaedic team, and recommendations were made to support her whilst she was under orthopaedic review. We communicated crucial information to Sarah in short, simple sentences, avoiding medical jargon but ensuring a full explanation.

HomeLink discharged Sarah when the district nurse service commenced, ensuring open and clear communication throughout.

Understanding Sarah’s sensitivity, we also requested that she be allowed to wait in a quieter room whenever possible when coming for her orthopaedic review at St Mary’s Hospital. Additionally, we advocated for the same staff members to support her consistently, aiming to ensure continuity of care and enhance engagement.

Without HomeLink Healthcare, Sarah would have needed an ambulance to take her for weekly visits to the hospital to be reviewed by the orthopaedic team, which would have been very distressing, as well as using much needed ambulance resources.

The family expressed gratitude for the service and were appreciative of the ongoing support and positive aspects of Sarah’s orthopaedic progress. Sarah’s mother thanked us for the quality of care and emotional support we provided both to herself and her daughter through this difficult time.

She added, “Thank you very much for all your care and attention given to my daughter. You all did a marvellous job. It’s really appreciated.”