Question 1: I would make a phone call to the other hospital to see if this is possible, as you know this is a difficult situation and must be hard for Sarah.
I would prioritise my duties and contact the other hospital as soon as I was able to, I would explain this to Sarah. I would acknowledge how Sarah was feeling and would want to try and help her reduce her stress and anxiety as much as possible, therefore would try my best to facilitate the video calls.
Question 2: Ask Sarah if you can come into the bed space and offer to support her. Listen to her concerns and put a plan of action in place for how her concerns can be better managed.
I would ask Sarah if I could enter her room rather than just opening the curtains, this is to ensure that she wanted me to enter as she may have wanted time to herself. I would provide time to listen to Sarah’s concerns and develop a plan of action with her to ensure her concerns are being addressed. This would hopefully help Sarah feel supported by the team and feel able to communicate any worry’s or concerns than she is experiencing.
Question 3: Explain to Sarah that it would not be in her best interests to leave the hospital at the moment due to her current medication, post-operative condition and health. Agree to have a chat with her and the ward manager about how you can facilitate more contact with Baby Theo to ensure they are bonding as much as possible.
I would ensure that Sarah was aware of her current situation and the risks, if she chose to self-discharge. I would want to explore the reasons she wanted to leave and help address these. By Sarah leaving it could delay her recovery therefore may prolong the period until she can care for her baby, I would ensure that Sarah was made aware of this as she may be feeling overwhelmed and only focusing on the here and now rather than the future.
