A DAY IN THE LIFE...

MICHELLE KENNEDY

HEALTH CARE ASSISTANT, NORTH SEFTON COMMUNITY CARDIAC TEAM

I visit people in heart failure who are housebound. Some are still young; their heart failure is often the result of other conditions.

They need constant monitoring, so having someone to visit them at home to do routine checks and tests can keep them out of hospital and really improve their quality of life.

I feel very lucky, I’m valued by my team, I couldn’t ask for more. I get a lot of satisfaction from getting to know my patients and trying to bring positivity and reassurance when they need it most. One lady makes me gammon soup every time I visit and had a guardian angel musical ornament made and sent all the way from Scotland!

Michelle Kennedy, Health Care Assistant, North Sefton Community Cardiac Team

When I arrived at one very anxious patient’s house he was in the midst of a panic attack. I used what I’d learnt on an anxiety management course and explained how he could breathe his way through it. When I went back today he was relaxed and smiling. His wife said the advice had really made a difference.

Another chap was saying very strange things today about spiders invading his house! I realised he was hallucinating and reported back to the team – it turned out his kidneys were not functioning properly. I was glad we’d reached him quickly and prevented things getting worse.

My patients often compliment me on my phlebotomy skills – they say I can get blood out of a stone!

The people I see are often very ill and will sometimes open up about their feelings. I feel privileged to be the person they talk to. It can be sad; you have to accept and try not to take it home, (I don’t always manage that), but I hope I also make them smile.