Life-saving care happens daily in the NHS – one role is at the centre of it all

Life-saving care happens daily in the NHS – one role is at the centre of it all Advanced critical care practitioners are at the sharp end of clinical care for critically ill patients and play a vital communication role with families

In December 2010, Michael Belcher, then 68, was working long hours at the engineering firm he owned. He’d gone into work as usual, despite feeling ill with flu. Back at home, he went straight to bed and the next day, his wife, unable to wake him, called an ambulance, which took him to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Royal Devon and Exeter hospital. Flu had turned into sepsis, resulting in multiple organ failure. Belcher’s family were told he probably had no more than two days to live.

Seven years later, Belcher is not only alive to tell the tale, but running a new property development firm (his son now looks after his old business). He puts his recovery down to the team of hospital nurses and doctors who looked after him, but in particular, the care of one person, advanced critical care practitioner (ACCP) Carole Boulanger. “The care and empathy she gave to my family is quite remarkable,” he says. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• They see patients but aren't GPs – how physician associates play a vital role The Guardian
• How surgical care practitioners are key to the NHS operation The Guardian