ICU Follow-Up Service
When you are discharged from hospital after being critically ill, there will be a period of physical, mental and emotional recovery that will likely take some time. We feel it is important to ensure you are not alone during this.
At WWL, we offer various follow-up clinics and groups that can help support you during your recovery. These include:
- Follow-Up Clinic
- Diary Clinic
- Psychology Clinic
- Rehabilitation Group
- Tea & Coffee ICU Support Group
Due to the high volume of discharged patients, not all patients will be contacted directly for these appointments and it will be based on length of stay and severity of illness. However, we welcome any ICU patients to attend these services. If you haven't been contacted and feel you would benefit please email posticu@wwl.nhs.uk.
Patients who have been on the ICU can take time to recover and often have questions about their time in hospital and their recovery. Around 12 weeks after your discharge from hospital you will be contacted by one of the team. You will be offered the opportunity to attend a face-to-face appointment to discuss your progress since discharge. You will also be able to ask any questions about your stay in ICU. If you feel you would like to speak to one of the team before this time we can be contacted via email.
Patients who've had a stay in ICU often report having gaps in their memory from their illness or they may remember nightmares, hallucinations or feelings that people were trying to hurt them. To help fill this memory gap and help patients to understand what has happened is an ICU diary. This diary is written for all ICU patients by ICU staff, and by relatives/friends. Photographs may also be taken at points of change in the patients' condition and added to the diary when it is returned to the patient.
Around six months post ICU discharge, patients are invited to attend diary clinic, where ICU/Outreach staff will go through the diary and offer patients a visit to the ICU department. Patients can contact the diary service if they wish to receive their diary sooner than this.
Being critically unwell is a distressing experience for both patients and relatives. It is common for people to feel anxious, frustrated, or low after an ICU stay. Sometimes, people find it challenging to process what has happened or make sense of their ICU delirium.
You may be invited to the ICU Psychology follow-up clinic 2-3 months following discharge. This is run by the ICU Clinical Psychologist, who you may have met whilst you were an inpatient. Appointments aim to give you an opportunity to talk about your experiences, understand how you have been coping since your discharge and explore further psychological support if needed.
This clinic is open to both patients and relatives impacted by an ICU stay. If you would like to book an appointment, please contact us.
For those patients who struggle to regain their fitness and muscle strength following their stay in ICU, we offer a weekly exercise class held in Ashton. The class also provides the opportunity to speak to other patients who have been through similar circumstances. We will discuss this with you at the follow up clinic, but if you wish to attend before this please contact us via email.
Suffering critical illness and being in intensive care can be traumatic for patients and their families. Our support group is run by ICU/Outreach nurses and meets approximately every 6 weeks in Howe Bridge Leisure Centre, where former patients and their families find it helps to talk and share with others who have been through similar experiences. The nurses may also be able to answer any questions you may have about your stay in ICU and your recovery.
An invite to the group will be sent between 6-12 weeks after your discharge from ICU but please contact us if you would like to be invited sooner than this.
The next groups are scheduled for:
- 29th January 2025 13.30 - 15.30pm
- 5th March 2025 13.30 - 15.30pm