Husband praises ‘brilliant’ new Carer’s Passport for transforming the care of his wife at King’s Mill Hospital

The passport has been funded by volunteers and aims to involve people – who care for someone on a daily basis – in the patient’s care as soon as they are admitted to hospital.

Health chiefs say it has been trialled on a number of wards across King’s Mill and has already had hugely positive impacts on patient care and their wellbeing.

The passport allows the patient’s carer to go on to a ward – without any time restrictions – and provide as much or as little care as they want to.

One patient and carer who it impacted significantly on was dementia sufferer Ann Bennett and her husband Ray.

The couple were having their house adapted to suit her needs, which meant she went into a nursing home for some respite care while the work was being carried out.

However, during this time, Ann had a fall and broke her hip which led to a two-week hospital stay on King’s Mill’s trauma and orthopaedic ward (ward 12).

It was an unsettling time for her but it was noted how Ann was much more settled and in a calmer state during Ray’s visits – and became agitated and unsettled when he left.

Ann was discharged but, unfortunately, had two more falls which resulted in two further hospital admissions.

During her third spell in hospital, it was thought it would be best to use the Carer’s Passport for the couple.

Ray said: “It was brilliant on the ward, I could come in every day and sit with Ann and help her with her dinner and tea. I could spend time with her, walk with her as she loves walking.

"I mean, the Carer’s Passport, really is the best thing since sliced bread.”

Ward 12 Sister, Lauren Brown, said Ray’s presence made a ‘real difference’ to his wife’s care.

"With Ray being around we were able to get an insight into what Ann was like at home, what she liked, what made her comfortable, and we were able to include this in her care plan, which made a real difference to her care,” she said.

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