The Proactive Care Team (PACT) supported Abdul’s father in his last stages of life. This is his story.
“My dad was living at home with my two brothers when he became ill. At this time I had contracted COVID and was unable to visit dad. My brothers took him to hospital where he was referred to a virtual ward but after an assessment he was discharged with no after care.
“Dad returned home but he was not very mobile and needed help with climbing the stairs and moving around the house. The hospital arranged for a bath lift to be fitted at my brother’s home but this alone was not enough. We were stuck as a family; we didn’t know where to turn.
“Working for the NHS in Bradford, I had heard of the Proactive Care Team (PACT), so got in touch with them to see if they could help, and they did. Catherine from the PACT team came to visit us and asses my father. She was honest and open, she told us where we were at and that was what we needed at that time.
“Catherine liaised with the hospital and pulled out all the stops to get us what we needed to make sure my dad was as comfortable as he could be. Every week she’d come and visit without fail. She was always there at the end of the phone.
“A couple of months later, dad took a turn for the worse. It was clear he needed a specialist profiling bed and the PACT team sorted this in 3 hours. I was shocked, amazed, and so thankful for their support.
“On Catherine’s last visit, she had an emotional conversation with us that now was the time. She sorted out the right equipment and nursing visits and a few days later, my dad passed away.
“I have so much gratitude for everyone in the PACT team, who went above and beyond for my dad and our family in the last few months of his life, especially Catherine, she was a godsend and all the things a nurse should be. She’s a credit to the team.
“If it wasn’t for the PACT team, we wouldn’t have known what to do as a family, we would have really struggled. I don’t know where we’d be without PACT.”
Thank you, Abdul, for sharing your story. You can learn more about the PACT team on the Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust website.
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