"My partner’s stroke"

In 2023, my partner became ill and after visiting his GP on several occasions had a severe stroke. Initially he was rushed to the QE hospital in Birmingham, where he had a clot removed from his brain. After a short time in the QE he was transferred to Worcester Royal hospital. The impact of the stroke resulted in significant damage to the right side of his body, limiting movement in his arm, hand and leg. In addition to loss of speech, difficulty in swallowing and cognitive difficulties. At the same time he was still suffering from kidney problems, after having covid. During this time he was very confused about what was happening and to this day, he still can’t recall everything that happened.

Following his stay in Worcester Royal, he was admitted to Evesham Community Hospital, where he stayed until he was discharged on 3 months later. During his stay at Evesham  Community Hospital, although he received some physio and speech and language input, his recovery was limited and he remained very weak, and immobile, and there were times he was still very confused. Throughout his stay, myself and my family felt that the staff wanted to rush his discharge. When we raised concerns about his recovery and the process for his discharge the hospital staff we spoke to were dismissive and informed us that we didn’t need a care plan or social worker, despite being told by Worcestershire carers that we did. I was also made to feel extremely guilty for questioning his discharge, and told if I didn’t want him at home, he would go into care.

Once home we were given three daily visits from the community stroke team, however we were reminded of the fact that they were not carers, and there to develop his self help skills. Due to the extra responsibility and my partner's high level needs, it was an extremely stressful time for myself and him. I was prescribed anti anxiety tablets to help me sleep. Within the first two weeks of being at home he fell out bed twice, breaking his wrist on one occasion. He could not get up off the chair, even though it was raised to the highest level, get out of bed or use the commode without my support, (I am am in my late seventies, with osteoporosis, deaf in one ear  and I have balance issues).

Eventually my partner ended up in Russell’s Hall Hospital with a severe chest infection. He spent several weeks in Russell’s Hall where they were very through, and carried out investigations to identify the cause of his infection. Following his time here, he was transferred to the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bromsgrove where they implemented his rehabilitation program.

In late 2023, it was time to discuss his discharge again. I was deeply concerned about this and wanted to make sure, that this time we received the support we were entitled to, to aid his recovery. So I insisted on having a discharge meeting with all the relevant professionals. The social worker explained that my partner should have been on Pathway One when he left Evesham Community Hospital, which meant we would have had carers to help meet my partner’s needs.

My partner was discharged from the Princess of Wales and before the discharge the OT visited to ensure everything was ready, as he would be sleeping in the dining area of the house. Once home we initially had carers three times a day, I would like it noted that the carers were lovely, and the level of care exceptional. The level of support, soon dropped to twice a day and as my partner started to improve this dropped to once a day. We also had visits from the Stroke Support team and all this has helped with his recovery.

After six weeks we were assessed by social services and we currently are receiving support once a day from a private care company, which we contribute to. Myself and my family have also contributed towards having the garage converted into a bedroom, with a wet room for my partner. Eventually we were referred to the Integrated Neurology Service, where we received help from OT, Physio and S&L, all of which proved to be a major benefit for my partner. He thoroughly enjoyed their visits, and we benefited from the programs they put in place for my partner to do during the day. My partner is in his 70s and we feel he has reached the pinnacle of his recovery, he still gets very confused, although his speech has improved. Movement in his right arm and hand is still significantly restricted, although using a frame or walking stick he is able to slowly walk around the lounge and access his bedroom, wet room and the toilet. All this and all the care we have received from Integrated Services, has definitely improved my partner's quality of life, for which we are all very grateful. However it makes me very sad to think, that if Evesham Community Hospital, hadn’t been so keen to discharge him, his journey to recovery may have been less traumatic for him and the family.