The Crew Care Team were recently involved in a case involving a seafarer who while on shore leave, was involved in a road traffic accident sustaining serious injuries to his legs. The seafarer was taken into A&E locally and then admitted into hospital. The seafarer received plastic surgery for a skin graft and further surgeries to fix a brace to a leg. After being in hospital for just over a month, the crew care team arranged a flight home for the crewmember. Further to this, our team liaised with owners and the P&I Club to confirm that further hospital treatment was in place in his home country where the seafarer was to receive further care and physiotherapy.
How were we involved?
Having been appointed by a P&I Club our team were able to assist with this case, we firstly contacted the local agent and requested the necessary details of the seafarer and of the hospital which they were admitted to.
We made direct contact with the hospital informing the medical team of our intervention, acting as the crewmembers advocate whilst they were in the UK. The hospital team were provided a direct number in case they require any information or if the seafarers condition changed.
The crew care team contacted the crewmember directly to ease any concerns or worries that he might have had as it can be an unsettling time in a foreign hospital.
On a regular basis the crew care team would speak to the treating nurse or doctor and ask for updates on the crew’s condition and any surgeries, providing daily updates to all concerned parties.
It became clear that the seafarer was considering claiming against the person driving the vehicle who had injured him, thus the crew care team were asked to contact local police to investigate the cause of the incident, and if possible, obtain a copy of an accident report for reference. Unfortunately, on this occasion, the incident was deemed to be faultless therefore the case was closed.
Whilst in hospital, welfare visits to the seafarer were arranged to provide support and take the crewmember to the hospital coffee shop and around the grounds of the hospital. We have found that providing welfare visits to seafarers often increase the mental wellbeing of the crewmember but also eases pressure on the nurses within NHS hospitals. Further to this, as the seafarer could speak little English, the team were able to clarify and translate any queries the seafarer had in person which was found to be very beneficial.
When the seafarer was fit to be discharged, the crew care team liaised closely with the seafarers manning agent to confirm the receiving hospital back in the crew’s home country. These details were passed onto the treating UK hospital.
The crew care team then arranged and booked the crews flight back to his home country, ensuring that airport assistance was made available. The team kept in contact with the seafarer to confirm that they had arrived home safely and reported back to the P&I club.
How our assistance is beneficial
The crew care team can gain access to medical notes by providing a GDPR consent form to seafarers which once signed, enables us to get regular in-depth updates on the crew’s condition to feed back to the club and owners. We have medical registered professionals as part of our team who can liaise with the treating medical regarding complex diagnosis and prognosis.
Further to this, as the crew care teams’ have experience in different medical cases, we can determine whether the invoices are deemed appropriate or not before forwarding to the club.
We have members of the team across the UK which can pay welfare visits to crews in hospitals across the UK which offers person in person support and increases wellbeing of seafarers.
T: +44 1482 223 832 (24hr)
