King’s Mill Hospital Covid-19 patient is last to leave critical care after 115-day stay

George Paterson, 54, of Mansfield was filmed by jubilant staff as he was transferred from critical care to a ward after he was originally admitted to hospital with Covid-19 in February.

During that time, his wife Tonia and two daughters were told on more than one occasion that he might not survive – but each time he continued his fight and is now recovering on a ward.

Tonia said: “After a week of George being in bed unwell, I knew something wasn’t right and suspected Covid-19, but he kept telling me that he felt fine.

"I rang NHS 111 and they sent an ambulance and the paramedics said that his blood oxygen was very low and he had to go to hospital.

"George was reluctant to go, but I remember the paramedic telling him that if he didn’t, he could die – that was the last time that we saw him for a long time.

"I honestly thought that he would be taken in, treated on a ward and back home fit and well within a couple of weeks – never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that he would still be in hospital now.

“Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and George was taken to critical care and put into a coma – from then on, things were really up and down.”

After one month on the critical care unit, Tonia received a call in the early hours of the morning – a call that nobody wants to receive about a loved one – telling her that George had deteriorated and may not make it.

With PPE provision in place, Tonia and their two daughters, who are 17 and 24, were able to visit him.

“All I kept thinking about before seeing George was whether it would look like him as we hadn’t seen him in so long. But the nurses were fantastic and I spent time talking to him at his bedside and I told him that if he had anything left to please keep fighting for us, but if he can’t find the fight anymore we’ll be okay and he could go,” said Tonia.

A few hours later, after kidney dialysis treatment, George’s oxygen levels and condition began to improve but, even then, doctors were unsure if George would make a full recovery.

It was also believed that he had suffered a stroke while he was in a coma.

In April, George was brought out of the coma and Tonia was able to start visiting her husband for one hour each day.

“It was great to be able to start seeing George more regularly again, but as he started to wake up, he was very confused, which I expected, although he did always know who I was, thankfully. A speaking valve was fitted and he started to talk again, which was really nice as we could have conversations again." Tonia continued.

“Throughout all of this, the staff at King’s Mill Hospital have been fantastic, from the nurses and doctors to the liaison officer who was always there to help me see and speak to George from home, and the cleaners and hostesses who made me drinks.”

On June 10, 115 days after first arriving in critical care, George was finally moved to a ward as he can now breathe on his own.

It is still unknown how long he will be in hospital for, but he is getting better by the day and benefiting from physiotherapy support.

Tonia said: “We don’t know how long it will be until we get George back home, it could be six months, it could be as long as 18 months, but he’s coming on leaps and bounds every day and I’m starting to get glimpses of my George coming back, especially his sense of humour.

“I can’t thank all the fabulous staff that have been involved in his care enough. I honestly thought that I would be planning George’s funeral. His recovery will take as long as it takes now, we’re just taking it day-by-day, but we’ve got time, he’s here with us and that’s a blessing.”

Debbie Jackson, one of the sisters who cared for George on the unit, said it was a ‘very emotional time’ when he moved to a ward.

"It’s been a long journey for George and his family, and he will still be recovering on a ward for some time, but it’s a step in the right direction,” she said.

“It’s always amazing to see any patient leave critical care and on their journey to recovery. We devote so much time to caring for patients like George, with the ultimate aim of getting them strong enough to recover at home or on a ward, so when that happens it’s heart-warming and rewarding to see.

"We all wish George a speedy recovery so that he can return home to be with his wife and two daughters soon.

“What made George leaving critical care even more special was that, after almost 15 months of caring for patients with Covid-19 on our critical care unit, he was the very last patient with Covid-19 remaining on the unit, which means we now currently have no Covid patients in critical care.”

MORE NEWS

A message from the editor:

Support your Chad by becoming a digital subscriber.

You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience.

Click here to subscribe.