Maesteilo Team Leader Tierney ‘Tia’ Huggett has been commended for saving the life of one of the people she supports by advocating for her in a dangerous emergency.
Katie is living with a medical condition that requires immediate treatment if things go wrong and she suffered a flare-up.
Tia was part of the team who made the decision to take Katie to the hospital, where she was examined and then discharged.
However, on returning to Maesteilo, Tia was concerned that Katie still wasn’t right and fought to get Katie back in front of experts for a second opinion.
Her instinct proved to be right when a second medical team examined Katie and discovered she was in grave danger if the situation wasn’t treated immediately.
Service Manager Nathan Greenwood said that had Tia not advocated for Katie, the incident could have ended in a terrible tragedy.
Nathan said: “Tia stood her ground and insisted that Katie needed to go back to the hospital because she was certain something was not right.
“Even though the doctors had discharged Katie and other colleagues thought we should defer to their medical expertise, Tia wouldn’t let it go.
“It goes to show how well she knows Katie and that she’s brave enough to speak out even in a situation where many people would have followed doctor’s orders.
“There’s no doubt that Katie is still alive today because Tia was her voice in this critical moment.”
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At Swanton, every member of staff is asked to follow the Swanton Ethos, a vision that we believe empowers our team members and the people we support.
Nathan added: “Tia embodied a vital part of the Swanton Ethos that day – she was Katie’s voice in a situation where she needed an advocate.
“Her knowledge of Katie and the hours she’s spent supporting her paved the way for Tia to make the right call, and she did it.
“It takes incredible integrity to stand up for vulnerable people in your care, and Tia has proved what an amazing care professional she is.”
