Crystal 'absolutely loving' Tracheostomy Nurse role as she reflects on Annual Awards shortlisting
In May 2022, UHDB implemented a new role to specifically help provide patients who have undergone a tracheostomy or laryngectomy with tailored, specialised care and advice.
Crystal Coe, who was previously a Sister in Head and Neck, took on the role to become the Trust’s dedicated and first ever Tracheostomy Nurse Specialist, and has been providing support to patients and their families, as well as training for staff to help improve the experience of patients who have undergone these procedures.
“I’m absolutely loving this role”, said Crystal, who now has almost 50 patients under her care across both Royal Derby Hospital and Queen’s Hospital Burton.
She added: “When this role came around, I had recently gone through a tough time following the passing of both of my parents and almost fell out of love with nursing a bit. However, taking on this new challenge, which gave me more regular interaction with patients, reignited my love for nursing.
“I love that I’m out and about getting hands on interaction with patients, seeing first-hand the impact that my work is having on their lives. It’s amazing.”
A laryngectomy is a permanent procedure which involves the separation of the airway from the mouth, nose and oesophagus. In a total laryngectomy, the vocal chords and voice box are also removed.
A tracheostomy is an opening created at the front of the neck so a tube can be inserted into the windpipe to help patients breathe. Patients may need to have a tracheostomy for many reasons, including airway maintenance, in the treatment of head and neck cancers or when receiving care in Intensive Care if they are unable to breathe unassisted.
Since taking on the role, the number of patients under Crystal’s care has increased every month, with an increasing number of patients and their families reaching out for support and advice, even through social media.
Crystal said: “There are so many aspects to this role, from helping patients to working with colleagues on the wards. I’ve been doing a lot of work with the teams in Respiratory as well as with patients from our Burton site by helping them to move on to the next stage of their rehabilitation.
“I’ve had quite a lot of people reaching out to me on social media to ask questions and seek support following historic procedures, and the work I’ve been doing with existing patients has helped to reduce the length of time tracheostomy and laryngectomy patients spend in hospital.
“I’ve also been providing more and more training to colleagues and have got sessions booked well into 2023 already, so I’m really enjoying helping colleagues to provide the best possible care for this cohort of patients.”
At UHDB’s recent Annual Making a Difference Awards ceremony in October, Crystal was shortlisted for the Excellence Award as a result of her work; something which she is incredibly proud of.
She said: “It felt like a win for me! To have been nominated was amazing in the first place, but to have been shortlisted despite not having been in the role for very often is just incredible. Lots of the other individuals and teams that were shortlisted have been in their roles making a difference to patients for a long time, so it was a real honour for me to have been recognised alongside them.”