Two nurses save couple's life following carbon monoxide leak in their home
Two nurses from Scunthorpe who visited a patient at her home after she complained she was feeling "weak and dizzy" ended up saving her and her husband's life when it was found they were suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Outpatient nurses Danni Parkin and Jess Bratton - who care for patients who require hospital care but can receive it in their own homes - called patient Anne Millett to see how she was, and became concerned when she said she was feeling weak and dizzy.
As soon as they arrived at Anne's home, they smelt gas, to the point where Danni was "struggling to breathe". After evacuating the house, the nurses arranged for Anne and her husband to be taken to the Emergency Department at Scunthorpe General Hospital - where it was confirmed they had carbon monoxide poisoning.
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Speaking about the experience, she said: "When we arrived, I could smell gas, and I found myself struggling to breathe and my eyes and nose were stinging.
“We evacuated the house, called the emergency gas number, opened the windows and doors and shut off the gas.
“I couldn’t get any internet signal on my phone, so our colleague Yasmin was looking up the phone numbers for us back at the hospital.
“Then we arranged for the patient and her husband to be taken to our Emergency Department, where it was confirmed, they had carbon monoxide poisoning, so we also arranged a kennel for their dog."
Unbelievably, a gas engineer who attended the property told the nurses that the level was the "highest concentration of carbon monoxide he had seen in his career" - even though the windows and doors had been opened.
After making sure everyone was safe, Jess and Danni also had symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning but were given the all clear by the Emergency Department team.
Everyone, including the dog, are now fighting fit, and officers from Humberside Fire and Rescue will fit a carbon monoxide detector inside the property.
Anne said: “I really can’t thank them enough. They genuinely saved all our lives – who knows what would have happened if they hadn’t have come to see me.”
OPAT matron, Garry Cowling, said: “Danni and Jess handled a very challenging and potentially dangerous situation exceptionally well. Their quick thinking, teamwork, and attention to the patient’s welfare were clearly critical in ensuring a safe outcome for everyone involved.”