Gabby Pulbrook
December 2023
Gabby
Pulbrook
,
RN
K 9 East
Tasmanian Health Service
Hobart
,
Tasmania
Australia
She took the time to sit with him and chat about the procedures he was having done and explain what was going to happen, never brushing him off, always showing empathy, care, and compassion.
Our son L received significant burns to 30% of his body due to an explosion in the shed at home. He was flown from the North West Regional Hospital to the Royal Hobart Hospital.
L was on K9 Burns ward. We met the Burns and Plastic team. L had numerous theatres for wound debridements and dressing changes and for skin grafts to his chest, abdomen, legs, hand, and arms. We had a lot of great dedicated healthcare workers look after L in the 59 days he was in hospital and we have thought about this a lot in the last 12 months. Many people would be stand outs for their care and compassion for L. They would just pop in to see how he was doing even if they weren’t rostered on his room. These nurses would come and check on us also as parents, have a chat, have a laugh which helped us all get through the tough times. This goes above and beyond their duties at a very busy time of the year with staff shortages and covid outbreaks again.
One nurse sat with him the night before his first graft operation when he couldn’t sleep and was upset and we had already left for the night. She would stop and chat with us about how well she thought he was handling it all and would be a voice for him when things went wrong.
The one who stood out for us the most is Gabby Pulbrook. We first met Gabby on her first day in the ICU. She introduced herself and explained her role.
Gabby listened to L all the way through, and at the times when L was very down and “couldn’t” do things, she encouraged him to find the strength to achieve what was asked, which could have been for him to get out of bed (which was a huge effort for him). When he was upset and scared about having his skin grafts done, she took the time to sit with him and chat about the procedures he was having done and explain what was going to happen, never brushing him off, always showing empathy, care, and compassion.
Gabby was always very attentive to our needs and kept us informed of what was happening from day one. She always took the time to educate us all on what was happening and what would need to happen when L was discharged. If we needed to know anything and she didn’t know the answer, she would find out and let us know. We always felt fully supported and that she always put L's best interests first and would ensure he received the best care possible from all departments involved in his care. Gabby helped put us at ease and helped us to have a laugh.
We are so thankful for her support and it helped us get through one of the toughest times for us as parents and as a family. Her compassion, care and kindness did not go unnoticed and we will be forever grateful for this.
L was on K9 Burns ward. We met the Burns and Plastic team. L had numerous theatres for wound debridements and dressing changes and for skin grafts to his chest, abdomen, legs, hand, and arms. We had a lot of great dedicated healthcare workers look after L in the 59 days he was in hospital and we have thought about this a lot in the last 12 months. Many people would be stand outs for their care and compassion for L. They would just pop in to see how he was doing even if they weren’t rostered on his room. These nurses would come and check on us also as parents, have a chat, have a laugh which helped us all get through the tough times. This goes above and beyond their duties at a very busy time of the year with staff shortages and covid outbreaks again.
One nurse sat with him the night before his first graft operation when he couldn’t sleep and was upset and we had already left for the night. She would stop and chat with us about how well she thought he was handling it all and would be a voice for him when things went wrong.
The one who stood out for us the most is Gabby Pulbrook. We first met Gabby on her first day in the ICU. She introduced herself and explained her role.
Gabby listened to L all the way through, and at the times when L was very down and “couldn’t” do things, she encouraged him to find the strength to achieve what was asked, which could have been for him to get out of bed (which was a huge effort for him). When he was upset and scared about having his skin grafts done, she took the time to sit with him and chat about the procedures he was having done and explain what was going to happen, never brushing him off, always showing empathy, care, and compassion.
Gabby was always very attentive to our needs and kept us informed of what was happening from day one. She always took the time to educate us all on what was happening and what would need to happen when L was discharged. If we needed to know anything and she didn’t know the answer, she would find out and let us know. We always felt fully supported and that she always put L's best interests first and would ensure he received the best care possible from all departments involved in his care. Gabby helped put us at ease and helped us to have a laugh.
We are so thankful for her support and it helped us get through one of the toughest times for us as parents and as a family. Her compassion, care and kindness did not go unnoticed and we will be forever grateful for this.