Family thanks cardiac unit for 'wonderful' care

Morriston Hospital’s cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) has been gifted a £5,500 thank you from the family of a former patient.

The unit looked after Eifion Jones Davies, a dairy farmer from Llanddarog in Carmarthenshire, for five days in August before he was transferred to St Thomas’ Hospital in London.

Sadly, the 62-year-old father of one, passed away unexpectedly while in the capital.

His family asked all those who attended a thanks-giving service to make a donation in memory of Mr Davies resulting in the huge sum of money recently handed over to the unit.

Mr Davies’s widow, Kim (pictured above handing over the money to ward sister Michelle Porter), said: “As a family we would like to sincerely thank the staff of cardiac ICU for the wonderful care provided to Eifion during his short stay at the unit.  

“The staff kindness, hard work, dedication, compassion and understanding they gave to us as family will never be forgotten.

“We would like to thank them for their selfless work and endless hours that they put in to caring for their patients and family members during such hard, sad, and challenging times of their lives. 

“I could go on and on as I cannot thank them enough of how kind they were to Eifion (pictured left) my late husband, myself, my daughter Rebeca, and family members.”

Mrs Davies said that her family was grateful for all the compassion shown them by the local community.

“People have been so kind,” she said. “We have received more than 800 sympathy cards.

“Eifion was so well respected but if you ever met him he was the most quiet of men, who worked hard all his life.”

In accepting the donation senior sister, Michelle Porter, said: “We are eternally grateful for the family’s kindness during such a deeply saddening and heart-breaking time for them.

“As a team in cardiac ICU I know we look after patients but we also pride ourselves in looking after their families and loved ones as well. The patients need their families to get through their surgeries.

“We invest so much in the care that we give and pride ourselves in our high standards and the compassion we show the families.”

Matron Ross Phillips added: “The biggest thing for me is hearing that even though it was such tragic circumstances, the family have come back with this massive donation, for which we are so grateful.

“We will look at providing equipment, and possibly training for staff, to ensure we maintain our high standards.”

Cathy Stevens, Swansea Bay Health Charity’s fundraising officer, said: “This generous donation from the family just goes to show the impact that the staff at the unit have on patients and their families. 

“The staff go above and beyond their jobs on a daily basis and it’s so lovely for the unit to be rewarded for their hard work.”