The Recovery after Critical Illness team aims to support patients and relatives following critical illness.
Our team provides support whilst you are in Intensive Care Unit and continues on the ward and after discharge from hospital.
Whilst some patients make a rapid recovery following critical illness, some may experience ongoing physical or psychological issues and their recovery may take longer. These problems can often affect everyday life and impact on the return to the routine, work, study, social interactions, finances and relationships.
Our aim is to offer a range of support, in conjunction with services that may be available to patients locally.
The Recovery after Critical Illness team offers support and guidance regarding concerns and physical or psychological problems that patients and their families may be experiencing after discharge from Intensive Care Unit.
During ward visits, you will be usually seen by a critical care nurse or a physiotherapist who will assess your progress and will support you during your recovery whilst you are still in hospital.
In line with national guidelines, our team triages patients following some set criteria however, should we receive a referral, we are happy to support you and your family, should you need help.
The purpose of visiting patients on the wards is the early recognition and treatment of Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) symptoms, which can affect daily living or cause difficulties with processing thoughts.
Following your discharge home, the RaCI team will invite you to attend a clinic appointment.
Clinics are held once per week in the Outpatient department and are usually run by an ICU consultant (or a nurse consultant), a critical care nurse and, when possible, other members of the multidisciplinary team such as a clinical psychologist or a physiotherapist.
If you do not wish to or cannot attend in person, it is possible to schedule a telephone or video consultation.
The clinic appointment is an opportunity for a structured discussion that focuses on providing support both on the physical and psychological impact that critical illness may have had on you and your family.
This is a therapeutic intervention which aims to promote memory recall, provide an understanding of the process of critical care admission and fill the gap in memories that you may have regarding the time you spent in ICU.
It is an opportunity to welcome you back to the unit, to show you the bedspace where you have been cared for, have a chance to meet the staff who looked after you and have an opportunity for us to show you all the equipment used to treat you whilst you were critically unwell. Finally, you will also have a chance to sit with a team member to go through your file, with the aim to reconstruct your journey from your arrival in the hospital to the time of discharge.
You will be given an opportunity to ask questions and get support, should you need it.
You can bring a friend or a relative with you to help supporting you through this step of our care.
You recovery journey does not end at the time of discharge from the hospital but may continue once you reach home. You may experience poor concentration, decreased memory, anxiety, depression, decreased motivation, fatigue, decreased mobility, insomnia, muscle weakness, post-traumatic stress disorder, and difficulty in breathing. These symptoms are collectively known as Post Intensive Care syndrome (PICS).
We want to emphasise that you will probably not experience all of the issues described here, but if you do suffer from any of them, we hope that the advice in this website will be helpful to you.
We want to reassure you that there is every chance you will return to the state of health you enjoyed before you became ill, and your present symptoms will pass with time.