"Good care at OPAT"

Following an out- patient surgical procedure I developed a known complication which was a septicaemia.

The next day I developed confusion and felt very unwell. My wife drove me to the Accident and Emergency Dept. in FVRH where I was seen promptly and admitted to the Surgical Admissions Unit and then B31 where I had excellent medical and nursing care.

I required 4 weeks I.V. Antibiotics but was able to be discharged after 5 days to attend the Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy Clinic(OPAT) from 04/02 to 01/03/2020. This service is a great development allowing me to go home instead of remaining in hospital which would have occurred in the past. I was also able for part of the time to self- administer the I.V antibiotic with the great support of the OPAT team -a new service they are developing. This saved me travelling and was very convenient.

The OPAT team were always extremely helpful and very patient focused and did everything to make the procedure as comfortable as possible. Like the ward nurses they always had a smile on their faces which was welcomely therapeutic. I am now feeling much better and back to normal.

Hopefully the service can be extended as not only does it save bed- days in hospital but is much more convenient for patients allowing them to recover in their own homes instead of having to remain in hospital. I am a retired Consultant Physician and would really have appreciated this service while I was still working.