“The care Kit received from my colleagues at ELHT was second to none and everything was explained thoroughly to us at every interval.”
Ed has worked for the Trust since 2016, but when his son Kit had bilateral grommet surgery in January 2022, he was faced with a more personal experience of the Trust.
He said:
Me and my wife Lauren had some concerns with Kit’s communication at around 18 months. He’d been on and off with various viruses since being a baby, his speech was poorly pronounced and he often failed to react to noises.
Our Health Visitor referred us for a hearing test and Kit was diagnosed with having glue ear with mild hearing loss in both his ears.
Glue ear is a ‘watch and wait condition’ meaning it can often heal itself. However, Lauren and I wanted Kit to have the bilateral grommet surgery required to relieve the symptoms. This involved tiny tubes inserted into the eardrum which stay in place for six to 12 months then fall out naturally.
After various referrals Kit had the operation in January 2022 at Blackburn. This was much quicker than anticipated as we were aware of waiting times in different parts of the country being significantly higher (sometimes years).
The Trust is fantastic on an individual clinical basis so never once were Lauren or I worried about the procedure. Every one of my colleagues genuinely does the best they can for their patients so I knew Kit would receive the best care possible and in the safest of hands.
Kit massively caught up in the months following his procedure speech wise, but we had a few other concerns and thanks to more tests at ELHT we found out he needed glasses due to poor eyesight and a stigmatism in his left eye.
Since then, Kit’s eyesight and hearing has improved and he is like a different child. He is a chatty and cheeky three-year-old who loves dinosaurs, sharks and monster trucks.
I am very proud to work for ELHT and the NHS because I believe everyone should be entitled to free, safe healthcare. Being a small cog in a big wheel which supports so many people is something to be proud of.
I fell into nursing as I didn’t know what to study at university and having science A Levels my dad encouraged me to look at a vocational subject that I would definitely have employment with after graduating – and I’m glad I did!