Care in the community works for Leighton
Hywel Dda Health Board is providing more care in the community, rather than in the traditional hospital settings. This is one patient’s experience…
A retired Llanelli steelworker has praised the work of the Hywel Dda Health Board Acute Response Team (ART) for not just treating his condition but becoming life-long friends as well.
Leighton Hawker, 67, from Garnant, Llanelli, has been living with diabetes since the 1980s. In 2003 he lost his leg to the condition and a few years ago an ulcer on his heel meant he had to battle to save the other leg as well.
As the ulcer had penetrated the bone, Leighton needed a course of intravenous antibiotics (through a needle) to treat it but was otherwise healthy. Since he was well enough to be treated at home, the Carmarthenshire ART service were able to come out and care for him everyday for six weeks.
A nurse from the team administered the antibiotics four times a day, starting first thing in the morning and sometimes not finishing until 12 o’clock at night.
Leighton said: “They are brilliant. It’s because of ART that I was able to come home and that meant I could recover quicker. I was having injections all the time making me depressed, I was feeling no better being in hospital but as soon as I came home I picked up.
“Being at home is a totally different environment and in the end I was looking forward to seeing them coming. I have made a lot of great friends because of it.”
Leighton was with the team for four months in total, after complications meant he had to continue having treatment.
Craig Jones, Team Leader for the Carmarthenshire area, helped to treat Leighton at home. He said: “It’s nice to be able to offer treatment for that length of time knowing that the alternative would be staying in hospital.”
Talking about the service that ART offers, Craig continued: “Over the last year in Carmarthenshire we have treated 380 patients for intravenous antibiotics, with the duration of their treatment ranging from one week to four months. With the average patient in hospital for 10 days, that works out as 3,800 bed days ART has saved over the year.”
A nurse from the team administered the antibiotics four times a day, starting first thing in the morning and sometimes not finishing until 12 o’clock at night.
Leighton said: “They are brilliant. It’s because of ART that I was able to come home and that meant I could recover quicker. I was having injections all the time making me depressed, I was feeling no better being in hospital but as soon as I came home I picked up.
“Being at home is a totally different environment and in the end I was looking forward to seeing them coming. I have made a lot of great friends because of it.”
Leighton was with the team for four months in total, after complications meant he had to continue having treatment.
Craig Jones, Team Leader for the Carmarthenshire area, helped to treat Leighton at home. He said: “It’s nice to be able to offer treatment for that length of time knowing that the alternative would be staying in hospital.”
Talking about the service that ART offers, Craig continued: “Over the last year in Carmarthenshire we have treated 380 patients for intravenous antibiotics, with the duration of their treatment ranging from one week to four months. With the average patient in hospital for 10 days, that works out as 3,800 bed days ART has saved over the year.”
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