NHS worker's life saved by quick-thinking colleagues in blood clot scare

Matt Maguire, who works at Sandwell Hospital as the associate director of performance and strategic insight, was struck with a pulmonary embolism, which happens when a blood clot gets stuck in the lung, blocking the vital organ.

But luckily for him, his team, who usually focus on data and analysis, were able to spot that something wasn’t right with the dad-of-two and got emergency help.

Matt, aged 53 from Kingswinford, said: “I was just minutes away from death – I have my colleagues to thank for saving my life. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here today.”

He added: “I’m so glad I went in. I work from home occasionally and there’s no-one else in the house. If I had stayed at home, then who knows what would have happened.

“I remember walking into work and not feeling great. I was suffering from shortness of breath, it felt like I had someone sitting on my chest – it took me one hour to walk 500 yards from the car park to my office. I had to sit down twice for 30 minutes each time.

“When I got in, my colleagues Essie Li and Julia Herriott spotted something was wrong immediately and called someone from the nursing service Single Point of Access (SPA) who are based in the same office block. They came to see me and called the Emergency Medical Resuscitation Team (EMRT) team out.”

In cases of emergency, staff can call 2222 which takes them through to the Emergency Medical Resuscitation Team (EMRT) who are based onsite and will attend immediately to deliver lifesaving care if needed.

Essie, head of transformation, added: "When Matthew walked into the office we could tell that something wasn't right with him. He looked pale, was out of breath and his lips were grey.

"I knew that our SPA team, a group of highly experienced nursing staff, were working in the same building, so I went and sought help. They rushed in to see him and made the call for emergency help."

The team were quick to respond and Matt was taken to A&E and then admitted into hospital.

He explained: “I was struggling with my breathing which meant I was having to be constantly monitored.

“The nursing staff showed great patience and understanding with me despite my condition which only made me feel better in their care.

“I would like to say a huge thank to all the clinical and non-clinical staff who supported me on patient journey as I know how close I came to death.

"They all cared for me on a professional and personal level, and it is truly humbling. Simply put, going to work that day saved my life!”