Working in partnership to support discharge

Pictured above: The Neath Port Talbot Reablement Team with their award. Jane Melton is pictured far left, Integrated Community Services Manager Laura Turner, third from left, and Caitlin Phillips, centre. Also pictured second from left is Dermot Nolan, Interim Service Group Director for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities who presented the awards

As Sister Ann Newman she was ahead of her time, balancing a healthcare career with raising a family in the 1960s and ‘70s.

Known across the Swansea area the trained nurse, and later midwife - who was also Chair of the Royal College of Midwives in Wales for several years and a passionate fundraiser for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Singleton Hospital - provided care to thousands of adults and babies over the years.

So, when she needed the NHS in her final years, it was fitting that the care provided supported Ann’s wish to maintain her independence.

This allowed her to live at home in Trebanos at the heart of the family, friends and community where she belonged.

Now Occupational Therapist Caitlin Phillips and the wider Neath Port Talbot Reablement Team who made that happen have been presented with Patient Choice Awards.

Ann Newman as a newly-qualified nurse in 1964 Credit: Dr Jane Melton They were nominated by Ann’s daughter Dr Jane Melton, who attended the event at Neath Port Talbot Hospital where they received their certificates.

She said: “Using her occupational therapy expertise and amazing ability to understand the need of an individual’s health, care and everyday needs, Caitlin set up a wonderful package of care for my mother.

“This included swift adaptation to mum’s home environment, which enabled her to return home from hospital safely, successfully, happily and in a timely way.

“As a result, mum was able to regain skills and confidence and do as much for herself as she possibly could.”

Ann had been living with myeloma, a blood cancer, since 2021 when she suffered a fall and damaged a nerve under her arm. This limited what she was able to do for herself which was frustrating for Ann who was fiercely independent, active in the local church and with many hobbies including knitting.

After discharge from Morriston Hospital, where she had once worked, Ann was visited at home by Caitlin, who carried out an assessment of her needs.

The reablement team provides short-term support to help patients leave hospital in a timely way so they can recover and get their confidence back at home. They aim to carry out their assessment within 48 hours of discharge.

As well as adaptations to her home Caitlin also made sure Ann, mum to Jane and Lloyd, had input from physiotherapy, including splints and exercises, to help her regain some function in her arm.

“Mum did make some progress,” said Jane.

But she added the aspect of care which made the most difference was Caitlin’s ability to listen to Ann and her family and to work in partnership with them.

Ann Newman was supported by the Neath Port Talbot Reablement Team Credit: Dr Jane Melton Jane said: “As a family, we have been incredibly impressed by Caitlin’s approachability, willingness to listen, to work closely with family carers, responsiveness and endless professionalism.

“Her ability to coordinate a wider team was also evident and her expertise in changing approach to match presenting challenges was impressive. In fact, our whole experience of the reablement team was wonderful and such efficiency was assuring and comforting at a difficult time.”

Ann lost her battle with cancer on October 26^th 2025, aged 82.

Jane and John Williams, Ann’s special friend and partner, said the support Ann had received from Caitlin and the team had allowed her to live as she wished, a fact which has given them great comfort.

Jane said: “We were heard as much as anything and we were all held by the compassion we experienced until the end. It was a powerful experience and a privilege to be part of a real partnership in mum’s care.”

Integrated Community Services Manager Laura Turner said: “It’s lovely for Caitlin and the team to receive these awards, but the greatest satisfaction comes from knowing that Ann was supported to live the way she wished to.

“While hospital can feel safe, especially after an event like a fall, there is strong evidence that staying in a bed once treatment is finished actually harms a patient’s physical and mental health.

“The sooner plans can be put in place to allow the patient to return home, the sooner they can get back to familiar surroundings, sleep in their own bed and do things for themselves if they are able.”

She added: “We are so pleased that both Ann and her family took comfort in this.”

In addition to the Patient Choice Awards, Jane has also thanked the many other professionals involved in her mum’s care; all of the staff at Ty Olwen, Dr Majid, Consultant Haematologist at Singleton Hospital and Ward 11a, Cross Hands Care (social care), the District Nursing Team and GP at Clydach Primary Care Group and the occupational therapy service at Neath Port Talbot Hospital.

• The Patient Choice Awards are an annual feature of Swansea Bay University Health Board’s staff recognition programme and are awarded directly as a result of patient and family nominations. This time more than 500 nominations were received with hundreds of awards handed out across more than a dozen events.