The Complex Acute Response Team in Thanet Kent always go above and beyond for any adult who is experiencing a complex health need. A typical patient may be experiencing frailty, they may be at the end of their life, or experiencing complex respiratory or cardiac conditions or perhaps severe dehydration or sepsis, there really is very little the team are unable to see and on a daily basis they will spend every moment of their time caring for patients in their own home who may have serious or complex health care needs.
Carrie (Advanced Clinical Practitioner) and Hakim (GP) work as part of our wonderful Complex Acute Response Team. At the end of their shift they were contacted by the local hospice team to review a gentleman who was in acute distress at home, after the family had contacted them.
Despite a long and difficult shift, Carrie and Hakim attended the home outside of their working hours, to assess and support the patient and his family who had only very recently received a diagnosis of cancer and were now in the very last stages of the end of his life.
As well as making some complex clinical decisions for this gentleman, Hakim and Carrie provided outstanding emotional
support for the patient, his daughter and his wife. The family contacted the team after their loved one's sad death, expressing their gratitude for the phenomenal care and support they all received. The family also wanted to make contact in person with myself as COO of Thanet Health Community Interest Company, to ensure that the impact of their care, in particular the level of compassion that was shown particularly by Carrie, did not go unmentioned. The family stated that the care was like being wrapped in a blanket of kindness and empathy and they were so appreciative of everything that was done for them at such a sad and stressful time.
Although the team make a difference to patients every single day, ensuring that, where possible, the patient is able to decide on where they are cared for and for some, where they spend their final days, this episode of care in particular, touched the hearts of those involved and on behalf of our Complex Acute Response Team, I wanted to share it as a simply fabulous example of holistic NHS care in the community which fits perfectly with the 'TNT' award.