The saying “in the right place at the right time” took on a whole new meaning for a member of staff at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde when she suffered a health emergency at work.
Caroline Swan is a Health Care Support Worker on a stroke rehabilitation ward at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, so when she herself displayed signs of a stroke on 26th January, one of her colleagues knew exactly what to do – and her actions really were a life-saver.
Sharon Woods, Charge Nurse on Ward 56, was the one who spotted something wasn’t right. “Caroline was sitting in a chair and just staring. When I asked her if she was OK she couldn’t speak. There and then I knew.”
Calling ahead to make sure the emergency stroke team was ready, Sharon got Caroline on to a trolley and ran to A&E. Her quick thinking meant Caroline received the interventions she needed within 45 minutes.
And because of that intervention, within two hours Caroline’s speech was beginning to return, within days she was feeling well, and she is now back at home in Thornliebank with her husband Alan and planning to return to work, so she can help others on their rehabilitation journey following a stroke.
“Sharon saved my life – it’s as simple as that,” Caroline said. “I was coming out of a room and couldn’t get my glove off. I just kept staring at it and thinking ‘something’s wrong’.
“I can vaguely remember being put on to a trolley, going through corridors, and then going for a scan. I remember then thinking something was really wrong.
“But it honestly feels like my stars were aligned that day. I wasn’t even meant to be working, then Sharon found me really quickly and got me the help I needed.
“Because of her and the rest of the team who took care of me, I recovered really well. I’ve lost my sense of taste, and I need to wear a monitor, but I’m feeling well and hoping to be back at work soon.
“I’ll never be able to thank them enough for what they did for me.”
Health services across the country are under considerable pressure, and staff are working hard every way to give patients the best possible care, but seeing that care at first hand was something Caroline will always remember.
“The care I received was just amazing,” she said. “I thought it would be weird, given that I worked with everyone and I know them so well, but they were brilliant.
“They just treated me like any other patient and looked after me really well. Everyone was so nice, and I felt so safe. I can’t thank them enough.”
Sharon was glad to be in the right place at the right time, but she didn’t see anything unusual in the care everybody gave Caroline.
“You don’t expect something like this to happen to a colleague, so to begin with I was quite shocked. But we take care of people – we’re nurses after all, so that’s what we all did.
“I’m just so glad that everything turned out so well for Caroline.”
Rebecca Fulton, Lead Nurse for the Older People and Stroke Services, said: “I’m so proud of the team. Despite the fact the patient in this case was one of our staff, everything just kicked in and people knew exactly what to do.
“In fact, being a close-knit team was probably the critical factor here, and why Caroline has made such a positive recovery.
“I’m delighted that in this case everything worked out so well, and that Caroline will be back with us soon.”
Rebecca stressed that time really is of the essence when someone is suspected of having a stroke, and she encouraged people to familiarise themselves with the signs of stroke so they have a better idea of when to act.
She said: “It is well documented that the quicker a patient can get to hospital and receive treatment, the better the chance of a positive outcome.
“Because of that time imperative, learning the signs of stroke, and being able to act quickly in the event of one, really can be a life-saver.”
Caroline, who has two grown-up daughters Caroline and Sharon, is well aware of how lucky she was that day – and hopes others will learn the signs of stroke so they can act fast too.
“I was so glad that I was at work – because of that I was seen quickly, and that was the key thing here.
“Please, if you do anything today, get to know the signs of stroke so you can help others, like Sharon helped me.
To remember the signs of stroke, all you need to do is say FAST. The FAST acronym (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) is a test to quickly identify if someone is having a stroke.
- Face weakness: Can the person smile?
- Arm weakness: Can the person raise both arms?
- Speech problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
- Time to call 999: if you see any of these signs.
