Zafreen Khaliq delivering life-saving care at home
She’s the former paramedic who delivers life-saving hospital care to patients in their own homes. Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) Zaf has been praised by patients like 78-year-old Pamela Edwards, who said she “wouldn’t be here now” if it wasn’t for the Virtual Ward service based at Sandwell and West Birmingham (SWB) NHS Trust.
Zaf, originally from Middlesborough, enthusiastically shared: “I live by the golden rule of treating others as I’d want to be treated, I use this in my everyday practice and strive to provide the best patient care as if it was my own family. My role revolves around delivering hospital-level care right in the comfort of patients’ homes and avoiding unnecessary hospital admission. This includes remote monitoring, telephone consultations and face to face reviews.
“My journey began as a paramedic which I really enjoyed. But I was keen to progress and I jumped at the chance to delve into a more specialised role, at SWB NHS Trust.
“I’ve had a few standout moments; one of them is working as part of the EPICENTRE team alongside registrars. EPICENTRE is where hospital doctors see patients in the comfort of their own home. My experience of working in the community, paired with their clinical knowledge and decision-making skills makes us a great team.
“Another highlight of my job is having the opportunity to work as part of a team which looks after our frail patients. They are an inspiring team to work with and not only that, but I can also assess and manage the patients that would have previously been bought into hospital via ambulance.
“The support I receive at the Trust is phenomenal especially with my studies, allowing me to develop even further. Completing my studies including the qualification which allows me to prescribe medicines, whilst working alongside consultants is a dream come true.
“Few paramedics can say they have experience of working in the front line in a busy city centre environment, within primary care, and in a hospital setting. In every role I have been in I have had the most amazing mentors who have shaped me into the clinician I am today and there is no exception at the Trust, so I would like to say a big thank you to my mentor Grace Shorthouse and the Frailty Intervention Team for everything they have taught me so far.”
