NHS Grampian Charity is proud to work with an incredible team of NHS colleagues across the Grampian region. Our colleagues use the generous donations that have been gifted to the charity to benefit patients and to enhance the healthcare services provided by NHS Grampian, both in hospitals and in the wider community.
One of those colleagues is Danny Strachan, Senior Charge Nurse at Woodend Hospital’s Stroke Rehabilitation Unit. We spoke to Danny about the difference he sees your donations make for patients.
The Stroke Rehabilitation Unit differs from many of the other wards and departments across Grampian because of the length of time patients may stay with us. A stroke is a very serious medical event which is caused by the blood supply to the brain being restricted or cut off. Strokes are usually caused either by a blockage in the blood vessels of the brain (Ischaemic Stroke) or by a ruptured blood vessel in the brain (Haemorrhagic Stroke), and they require urgent medical attention.
Once a patient has been treated for a stroke they might face weeks, months, or even years of rehabilitation. All strokes are different and all patients are affected differently, but some of the common challenges faced by recovering stroke patients are difficulties with memory and concentration, mobility challenges, reduced range of motion, and challenges with their motor skills which can affect everything from their balance to their ability to swallow food and medicine.
I’ve always had an interest in working in rehabilitation and I love having the opportunity to support patients through their journey to get back to being as independent as possible.
I started out my medical career over 10 years ago, initially working in a community hospital when I first qualified, before moving into orthopaedic rehabilitation then joining the stroke rehabilitation team as a Senior Charge Nurse. We have an incredibly dedicated team here at Woodend Hospital and I love to see the staff train and grow as we work with our patients.
We’ve been very lucky to receive donations from current and past patients and their families, as well as from members of the public, which we can use to provide the extras that make treatment more comfortable and more enjoyable for our patients while they are in hospital.
We know that a patient’s mental health and wellbeing is so important – it’s just as important as their physical health – so one of the ways we use donations it to arrange activities to help break up the day. These can include everything from themed days around special dates like Halloween and Pancake Day, to crafting classes and active games. These activities can be a great way to work on a patient’s rehabilitation without it feeling like a clinical treatment. Crafting classes can help them to work on their finger dexterity and movements, and a game like bowling, for example, can help them to work on their grip strength and upper limb strength. Even something as simple as gathering everyone together for afternoon tea or a fish supper can give patients the opportunity to work on their communication and motor skills, at the same time as having the chance to socialise with others who may be experiencing similar challenges.
These activities are also a fantastic opportunity for staff to get to know patients and their families.
A strong relationship between patients, families and staff members is really important, and we know that they are putting their trust in us to help them recover.
So having the opportunity to sit down and get to know them as a person, to get to know their likes, dislikes and interests beyond what their medical notes say, is so important for building that relationship.
Rehab can take a long time and some patients stay with us for several months, so it’s really important to us that we can deliver these activities for patients. It’s not just about getting them feeling physically better, their mental health really impacts on their physical rehabilitation so we need to look after that too.
Some of the most popular activities we have arranged have included animals, and we’ve been lucky to have visits from theraponies last year, and from the Cairngorm Reindeer Herd in the run up to Christmas. Anyone who has ever owned a pet will know the incredible comfort that being around animals can provide, and we certainly saw that when we had our four-legged visitors. Seeing the joy these visits brought to the patients was incredible, and even some of our more reserved patients who struggled to get involved in activities were taking part and enjoying themselves. We were also so pleased to be able to extend an invitation to our other colleagues across Woodend to visit the reindeer too, so more patients and staff could take a brief time-out to decompress during the busy festive period.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone whose generous donations allow us to provide these activities for patients, along with all the other extras that make their time in Woodend Hospital more comfortable.
NHS Grampian Charity could not continue to enhance the health and wellbeing of the people of Grampian without your support. Please click here to make a donation.