Off-duty A&E nurse praised for saving neighbour's life
An A&E nurse who sprang into action when her neighbour had a heart attack at home, has been praised by his family after her quick-thinking actions saved his life.
Dolly Johnson was enjoying a day off from her work as a Sister in the Emergency Department at Queen's Hospital Burton, when she heard a knock at the door and found her neighbour's young children asking for help as their father was unwell. After following them to their house she found Joseph Sijoy, who was pale, clammy and complaining of severe chest pains, common signs that he was suffering from a heart attack.
Dolly leapt into action and called an ambulance, explaining to the operator that, based on her assessment, she was confident Joseph was having a heart attack. The ambulance crew arrived within a few minutes and did an electrocardiogram (ECG) which confirmed Joseph had suffered a heart attack.
Joseph's wife, Lovely, also works at Queen's Hospital Burton as a Senior Theatre Obstetric Practitioner, said words cannot express her gratitude for Dolly who acted quickly during the distressing situation.
She said: "I called an ambulance but my husband's pain was getting worse and I was worried they wouldn’t get to him in time. I felt so stressed and helpless. I knew Dolly lived nearby so I sent my children to get help and she came straight away."
Using her experience of emergency medicine, Dolly requested the crew take him directly to the Catheterisation Laboratory at Royal Derby Hospital where Joseph subsequently had life-saving surgery.
Lovely added: "Sister Johnson is one of the most kind, caring, compassionate people and as a family we believe her fantastic knowledge and actions saved my husband's life that day."
Dolly said she didn’t think twice about rushing to help.
She said: "It was my day off but none of that matters when you do the job I do, I just knew I had to help in any way I could. It was clear to me that Joseph was having a heart attack, so I got the children out of the room and stayed on the phone to the 999 call centre, providing updates until the paramedics arrived and got him to hospital.
"It feels so nice to be thanked but I am just so glad that Joseph is well and that I could do my bit to get him back to his family."
Dolly was presented with the Patient Hero Award by Mark Hill, Director of Nursing, who thanked her for her quick-thinking actions.
Mark said: "Thank you for all you did, this just shows that whether you are at home or at work you never stop being a nurse and your remarkable actions that day, meant that Joseph got the help he needed and I know he and his family are so grateful for that. On behalf of myself and colleagues across the Trust, we are very proud of you."
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Our Monthly Making a Difference Awards celebrate those who have shown exceptional care and who have delivered improvements across safety, quality, effectiveness and patient experience and demonstrated the Trust values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence.
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