Imagine telling people that you helped somebody give birth whilst you were at work!
That’s exactly what happened to 111 Health Advisor Kayte Smith when she was on shift in March 2023.
Kayte, who has only been a Health Advisor for six months, received a call from the partner of a woman in labour, who explained that they were unable to get to a hospital.
“Initially it was a man that I spoke to, but I could hear a lot of noise in the background which sounded like it was coming from a woman; it seemed as though she was the one who needed the help’’ Kayte explains. ‘’After putting him at ease, I found out that his partner was very heavily pregnant and experiencing severe abdominal pains. I realised what this meant so asked when the baby was due, to which he replied… today!
‘’I asked a few further questions to get an overall impression of her condition and quickly learned that her waters had broken. I tried to keep everybody calm, including myself, so that we could properly assess the situation and give the right advice.
“I remembered my training, so talked them through the process of delivering the baby including getting towels to put down around her and preparing for what was coming next. I wanted to ensure that they both fully understood what was happening and remained calm. After only a few minutes, the paramedics arrived on scene who then took over ensuring the baby was born safely.
‘’I’ve never experienced anything like this before, it felt like such a privilege to be a part of such an important, vulnerable yet happy time in their lives. I would not have been able to do this without the amazing support from my colleagues, especially the Clinical Advisor who helped me throughout the call making the whole experience that little bit easier to deal with.’’
This story is a perfect example of the important roles our Health Advisors and Clinical Advisors play, making a huge difference in people's lives.