"Supported care at home"

A few weeks ago year my mother (aged 92) was advised that it was not appropriate for her to have further active treatment, and her health quickly deteriorated. She later passed away at home with her family around her, and I write to commend and thank all those involved in supporting her care at home.

Her GP, Dr Anderson from the Kingsmills practice put in place all the services needed, and was available to speak on the phone and visit when we asked.  He was so kind and patient, our mother trusted him completely and we feel very lucky that he was looking after our mother.

The community nurse, Mary, who was in charge of our mother's care at home was incredibly supportive, she took time to explain everything to us  so that we felt more confident, and again everything we needed arrived. It was a precious time with our mother, but we could easily have felt overwhelmed. Mary gave us reassurance, advice and practical help which enabled us to keep our mother comfortable.

During the out-of-hours period we had to ask for help and medication.  The out-of-hours team were easy to speak to and provided the support needed. We were lucky that all our out-of-hours visits were from the same nurse practitioner, Lucy. She also was so kind to our mother, reassuring for us, and she made it so much easier for us to manage in the small hours which can feel lonely.

Many others have been involved in my mother's care over the last years of her life. I would like to mention her GP who retired earlier this year, Dr McLeod from the Kingsmills practice. Dr Mcleod  visited our mother often, as our mother's memory and health was failing. By keeping in touch with us by phone, Dr Mcleod made it so much easier to organise our mother's care. The hospital consultant looking after my mother during her last two hospital admissions, Mr Michels, and the Orthopaedic ward staff ensured that her care was comprehensive and she had the best possible outcome. The community nurse team, and Ms MacDonald in particular, have provided much nursing care for our mother at home over the last two years, they have been able to deal with various difficult situations again with kindness and patience.

We feel incredibly fortunate to have an NHS team in Inverness who made my mothers last years much happier than they could have been, and made sure that her care around the time of her passing could not have been better. It is because all the individuals involved put in personal effort, and I hope they know how much difference they make to people's lives as a result.