I lost my arms and legs - stop it happening to others

A man who woke from a coma to discover both his arms and legs had been amputated and part of his face removed has called for mandatory training on sepsis for NHS staff.

Sepsis, or blood poisoning, is a serious complication of an infection, which can have devastating consequences if not treated quickly.

There were delays in spotting Tom Ray's sepsis.

He says more training is needed to avoid such tragedies.

Tom's story

Tom Ray was fit and healthy and living in Rutland in the East Midlands before he contracted sepsis at the age of 38 in 1999.

He had had a successful career in corporate banking and was in the process of setting up a business with his pregnant wife, Nic, when he fell ill.

His sepsis - thought to be caused by a cut to his gum during a trip to the dentist, combined with a chest infection - came on rapidly and led to vomiting and a high temperature.

But it took five hours at the hospital he was admitted to before the condition was diagnosed.

He spent months in a coma, during which time his wife Nic gave birth to their second child, Freddy.

His recovery has been a long and gruelling process, involving years of plastic surgery.

He has had to learn to walk, drive and live day-to-day life with prosthetic limbs.

The family lost their house and he has struggled to work.

"It is not the life I wanted to lead. It is not the life I wanted for my children. I have had some terrible lows, but I have learnt to battle on."

He puts that down to several factors. The "amazing" love and care provided by his wife and being mentally disciplined. "I have learnt to control what goes into my mind. I only let positive thoughts go in.

"I also realised it is not all about me. I had to be there for my children - to help them with their school work and take them places. Terrible things can happen in life, but you can get through them."

Now 57, Tom spends a lot of his time doing motivational speaking and campaigning to improve the way the NHS tackles sepsis.

Together with his wife and Pippa Bagnall, a former nurse and NHS chief executive, he has formed Resilience and Co to raise awareness of the problem.

Top of their wish list is mandatory training on sepsis for all staff who work in the health service.

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community.

Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

'Broken' care system for most vulnerable

Patients with mental health problems, autism and learning disabilities are being let down by a "broken" care system, a report warns.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) says it knows of at least 62 adults and children that have been living in segregation in mental health hospitals for long periods of time.

The report presents the CQC's initial findings on the use of long-term segregation on mental health wards for children and young people and wards for people with a learning disability or autism.

The CQC has so far visited and assessed the care of 39 people in segregation - most had a diagnosis of autism.

The most common reason given for segregating was to keep other patients safe or a belief the patient would be unable to cope around others.

The CQC found some of the wards were not suitable environments for people with autism and many staff lacked the necessary training and skills to work with patients with complex needs and challenging behaviour.

Some of the hospitals visited had "features of institutions that are at risk of developing a closed and even punitive culture".

In the case of 26 of the 39 people, staff had stopped attempting to reintegrate them back in to the main ward environment, usually because of concerns about violence and aggression.

Dr Paul Lelliott, of the CQC, said: "The people we have visited have had contact with health, care and education services for many years, pointing to missed opportunities that may have prevented admission to hospital in a crisis because there was nowhere else for them to go.

"These people have been failed by the current system of care and that system must be changed."

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community.

Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

England's best beaches revealed as 'Attenborough effect' inspires clean-ups

England's best beaches have been revealed as campaigners hailed the "Attenborough effect" for an increase in awards for being safe and clean.

Keep Britain Tidy has announced the winners of 71 Blue Flags and 137 Seaside Awards - an increase of 18 beaches on 2018.

The awards are quality marks for beaches and mean they are clean, safe and meet high environmental and bathing water quality standards.

It comes as a survey by Keep Britain Tidy found more than half (54%) of people said nature documentaries fronted by Sir David Attenborough had encouraged them to personally clear up discarded litter.

The 71 beaches awarded Blue Flags in 2019 are:

East Midlands

Ingoldmells South

Central Beach, Mablethorpe

Central Beach, Skegness

Central Beach, Sutton on Sea

Cleethorpes Central

East of England

Cromer

Sea Palling

Sheringham

Mundesley

East Runton

West Runton

East Beach, Shoeburyness

Shoebury Common

Thorpe Bay

Three Shells Beach, Southend

Dovercourt Bay

Brightlingsea

North East and Yorkshire

Tynemouth Longsands

King Edwards Bay

Whitley Bay

Roker

Seaburn

Saltburn-by-the-Sea

Humber

Whitby

South East

Brighton Central

Hove Lawns

Tankerton

Marina St Leonards

Hayling Island Beachlands

Sheerness Beach

Minster Leas

Minnis Bay

West Bay

St Mildreds

Botany Bay

Margate Main Sands

Stone Bay

Westbrook Bay

West Wittering Beach

South West

Blackpool Sands (Devon)

Poole Sandbanks Peninsular

Poole Shore Road

Poole Canford Cliffs

Poole Branksome Chine

Alum Chine

Bournemouth Manor Steps

Durley Chine

Fisherman's Walk

Southbourne

Carbis Bay

Gyllyngvase

Porthmeor

Great Western (Cornwall)

Porthtowan

Trevone Bay

Widemouth Bay

Sandy Bay

Exmouth

Challaborough Bay

Croyde Bay

Swanage Central

Dawlish Warren

Teignmouth Town

Breakwater Beach Torbay

Broadsands Torbay

Meadfoot Beach Torbay

Oddicombe Beach Torbay

Preston Sands Torbay

Torre Abbey Sands Torbay

Westward Ho!

Weymouth Central

We must ditch red meat to save planet, top scientist warns

People need to give up red meat to prevent catastrophic damage to the planet's climate, a former government chief scientist, Professor Sir David King has said

A report claims a 20% reduction in red meat consumption would reduce greenhouse gases by around six million tonnes a year. The Research shows that beef has a carbon footprint up to nine times higher than the same weight of chicken and around 200 times higher than vegetarian protein such as beans.

"The planet's population is still growing so if you are going to feed 11 billion, perhaps 12 billion people by the end of the century, with a growing middle class, we have got to change behaviour." said Sir David.

The UK's cattle and sheep produce 21 million tonnes of greenhouse gases every year, largely methane.

Meat consumption has fallen by 3% over the last 20 years, but our appetite for beef has remained level.

A 20% reduction in red meat consumption as a result of people adopting healthier diets would reduce greenhouse gases by around six million tonnes a year, according to the report.

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

Eating and drinking independently after a stroke tastes the best!

I would like you to imagine, for a moment, how you would feel if you were suddenly struck down with a stroke - seemingly coming from nowhere in the space of a moment, and with potentially life changing consequences – not just for you who is immediately affected, but also for your loved ones.

After all, shaky hands, limited movement in your neck and/or potential paralysis down one side of your body, would make it nearly impossible for you to eat and drink independently. And having to have someone assist you with your meals, or face spilling food on a table or yourself, can be embarrassing and have a negative effect on your self-esteem and even lead to you refusing to eat.

Dealing with the aftermath of a stroke can be physically and emotionally stressful. Depending on the severity of the stroke, you may lose some of your mental and physical abilities. Some of your abilities may return over time, while others may not. You need to relearn and practice every day movement sequences - which include eating and drinking, to help promote dignity, independence and the enjoyment of food once again.

You may have a loved one or care for ladies and gents who are stroke survivors, and by empathizing with their conditions and symptoms, you can gain a better understanding of how best you can help them:

Here we talk about some of the ways a stroke can affect normal eating, and offer you our tips and solutions to help overcome them:

Swallowing difficulties-

A stroke survivor may experience choking coughing, or gagging while eating, or find that liquid comes out of their nose when they try to swallow. It may get better over time, but a few tips can help:

If using cutlery is a challenge –

A stroke can weaken the muscles in arms or hands making it hard to use traditional forks, knives, and spoons. Try:

Eating with one hand –

A stroke can lead to paralysis (temporary or permanent) down one side of the body, making eating independently more challenging, try the following ideas:

Eating slowly –

When recovering from a stroke and relearning every day skills including eating and drinking independently it can take longer to eat meals, which can cause them to get cold and therefore be unappetising for the person who then gives up on eating and becomes at greater risk of malnutrition.

Our Keep Warm Plate and Keep Warm Bowl enable the slowest eaters to enjoy their meals, hot, to the very last bite

Non-slip grip pads on the side pf the plate and bowl not only ensure a safe hold, but also conceal the openings for the thermal function which are both safe and easy to fill with hot or cold water or crushed ice ( to also use for desserts and ice cream to keep them cool)

A non-slip ring under the base ensures a firm stance whilst eating.

Our colourful and functional range of Ornamin tableware, with its supportive features, compensate for just these types of disability, and can help to facilitate independent and carefree eating and drinking. They hold products securely in place on the table, prevent them from slipping out of hands and, like an invisible second hand, allow people with just one hand to eat on their own with ease.

 

For more details head over to our website request your copy of the Dignified Dining Solutions Guide or give us a call on 01773 713713