A GARNSWLLT mother has praised the efforts of a Glangwili hospital worker who gave up his Christmas Eve plans to carry out a medical procedure for her on his day off.

Donna Lewis has thanked off-duty Physicians' Assistant Wouter De Kroon for fixing a blocked intravenous line so she could go home and spend Christmas with her 10-year-old son Sam.

Wouter, who has worked at Glangwili General Hospital since July 2013, saw his efforts recognised and was nominated for Employee or Team of the Month award by Carmarthenshire Acute Response Team Leader, Craig Jones.

Wouter's wife, Lisa - who also works at the hospital - called on her husband on Christmas Eve as he was heading to Carmarthen to pick up the turkey.

Realising that Donna would have to stay in hospital over the festive holidays if she didn’t have the procedure, Wouter picked up his turkey and drove straight to Glangwili where he swapped his shopping for scrubs.

Donna said: “I’d had a chest infection that was being treated with oral antibiotics, but I wasn’t getting any better.

“I was given intravenous antibiotics instead, but because I have bad veins I had to have a PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) line inserted, which became blocked.

“I ended up having to go to Glangwili Hospital on Christmas Eve and I would have had to wait for treatment had Wouter not come in especially for me on his day off.

“As it turned out I didn’t need the PICC line to be replaced, but Wouter was able to fix it for me.

“It made a huge difference to me and my son. He saved Christmas for us.

“For someone to give up his day off, especially on Christmas Eve, was really lovely.”

Wouter added: “Fortunately, the skilled nurses in the medical day unit were able to get the existing line functioning again, which meant I was able to see Donna and check the line to make sure it was okay for her to go home without problems arising over Christmas.

“The fact that Donna was happy with the service made my Christmas better too. Having worked in many small hospitals in Switzerland, where going the extra mile is all part of the service, I am happy to say that I see the same patient-orientated mentality in many of my colleagues here at Hywel Dda too.”

Mr De Kroon won the award and has since seen his efforts recognised by Chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board, Bernardine Rees. She said: “When I read the nomination I was blown away - I believe it’s important to use every opportunity to thank people for what they do.”

Mr De Kroon added: “I feel really honoured to have been chosen, and emphasise that it really was a team effort by all.”