Respiratory nursing team from Glamorgan Hospital

The Respiratory Nursing Team at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant have been shortlisted for the Critical Worker category of the St David Awards for the support they showed families with loved ones in hospital with Covid, as well as the guidance and reassurance they offered staff at the hospital’s Acute Medical Unit in dealing with very difficult situations.

At the start of the pandemic, the team played an important role, supporting ward staff and doctors but the role became hands on very quickly to nursing the sickest patients on the ward that needed non-invasive ventilation and high flow oxygen.

They supported patients who were being transferred to ITU and stayed with them until they were anaesthetised and they also acted as the main contact point for patients’ families as they were unable to visit their loved ones in hospital. The team have also been on hand to direct and support nursing staff who have had to make challenging and very emotional decisions regarding individual patient care.

At the same time, they still provided support to their own caseload of patients requiring chronic disease management.

The team have worked exceptionally long hours to provide training and guidance to all members of staff on the hospital’s Covid wards to make sure they felt confident and fully supported in nursing complex respiratory patients and make challenging and very emotional decisions regarding individual patient care.