Nurse specialist : Post ICU recovery

What does the Specialist Nurse in Post ICU Recovery do?  

This speicalist nurse works with patients who are recovering from critical illness, to support them and their families along their recovery journey.

The Post ICU recovery service at GSTT aims to support patients with their transition from ICU to the wards and then eventually home, to help reduce the burden problems that patients recovering from critical illness can commonly experience.

There are three main aspects to the work of the Specialist Nurse in Post ICU Recovery:

1. To provide psychological input and care navigation for patients who step down from ICU on to the inpatient wards

2. To be the link person to support patients and their relatives once they have been discharged home, to help problem solve and direct them towards the right community services

3. To work with the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) in the Post ICU recovery follow-up outpatient clinic, where patients’ are assessed for ongoing physical, psychological, cognitive and social needs. Its important for the team to understand how these problems are affecting patients’ quality of life. Staff at the clinic provide support, advice and recommendations to patients and their GP, and make referrals into specialist services to provide ongoing care. Patients are given the opportunity to debrief their time in ICU, have answers to their questions, and explore their memories from that time.