My husband was admitted to the ward at midnight very ill. He has Alzheimer’s and being non-verbal, immobile and in a strange environment with Covid restrictions, needless to say, I was highly anxious. I was comforted by a calming voice saying, “We will look after him”, and I left in tears!

Over the next month, the entire team looked after my husband with empathy and respect. I loved how a nurse and a health care assistant got to know him just within a few days on the rota and the updates I received were informative. We had periods of progress and decline and some dark days and nights. The Team soldiered on with total dedication and commitment. I got to know most of the team on the day and night shifts.

I was granted compassionate grounds to see my husband by the ward managers. The time I spent with him was uplifting: to see how well he was cared for. He was very ill, his decline was upsetting. He was so well cared for, but his medication and feeding rotas were complex and time-consuming. My husband was a big man, it took an army to move and reposition him but this was always done in great humour. Each member of staff that cared for him shared the joy of his improvement; they shared the excitement of returning to eating a “Petit Filous” after 3 weeks on Nasogastric feeding. A moment I will never forget. “Their joy was my joy”.

I wanted each and every one of you to know how grateful we are for the dedicated care which allowed my husband to come home, somewhat lighter in body mass but so much brighter in his eyes!!! He was given a comfort blanket during his hospital stay but as a team, you provided the comfort and care to both of us. We still miss you all.