Lauren Brown
May 2022
Lauren T
Brown
,
RN
Surgery Division
Sherwood Forest NHS Foundation Trust
Sutton in Ashfield
,
Nottinghamshire
United Kingdom

 

 

 

Lauren came in and made checks to confirm she had passed. What she did then was amazing – she took a comb out of her pocket and talked to my mum.
My elderly mother went into King’s Mill, at my request, after a fall and they were outstanding. I am an out-patient and know their high standards. Their assessment was very effective as they quickly assessed her and identified a broken hip and carried out surgery to repair it. She then developed pneumonia and was treated with antibiotics, but they did not work. They spoke with me with empathy and compassion and said that they would stop treating her, but keep her comfortable. They put her in a separate room and family members were able to visit as she neared end of life. She was on Ward 12 and they even let me take our Westie to be with her. My husband and I were both holding her hands when she passed away very peacefully. We used the buzzer to call for assistance and a health care assistant came in. When I told him that we suspected she had passed, he went to get the nurse in charge of the ward. She came in and made checks to confirm she had passed. What she did then was amazing – she took a comb out of her pocket and talked to my mum. She said, “I am going to comb your hair E to make you look beautiful”. She then told her she was going to wipe her face to freshen her up. We were then encouraged to stay as long as we wanted and were supplied with cups of tea, sandwiches, biscuits, and fruit. She also bought in a gift bag, one for me and one for my brother, and explained that they were keepsakes. One was a keyring which was a heart and had a smaller heart inside. One heart was to go with our mother and the keyring to be kept by my brother. I was given a bag with two wooden hearts and a glass memory heart. One wooden heart was to put with my mum and one for me to keep, as well as the little glass memory heart. She also apologized that there wasn’t a window in the room, as they would usually open a window to let the spirit out. There could have not been a better way to lose my mum, and Ward 12 will always be in my heart.