Kate Garraway: Finding Derek

[purpleme12]

Is anyone watching this?
Almost harrowing

why can't Derek go home

Yes I wondered that. Assume it's a private hospital - not NHS. The NHS send patients home very quickly, particularly during the pandemic - and need the beds.

I assume he can’t go home because he still needs nursing care. He had multi organ failure, they only mentioned that his lungs were now functioning well, but presumably his kidneys and liver are not. He may not be continent. He probably needs frequent blood test and changes in medication, and equipment that they couldn’t have at home. He’s probably having dialysis too.

My god. You're all doing a lot of speculating. @SignsofSpring in particular.

My guess this and my guess that - how awful.

@Inkanta

why can't Derek go home

Yes I wondered that. Assume it's a private hospital - not NHS. The NHS send patients home very quickly, particularly during the pandemic - and need the beds.

Just because he seemed physically ok from neck up does not mean he does not need intensive 24 hour nursing care and monitoring which is beyond home care. I think he is in an nhs specialist Lung hospital but possibly a private room.

"why can she not do daily Covid swabs and go in and see him" because that's against current policy.

"my guess is she'll have the vaccines very quickly and then be able to go in." Sorry what?! That's not how it works.

"e.g. Derek probably couldn't make good decisions about money, although I don't know that for sure" Well no, you don't. You don't even know where on the sliding scale of probability that lies so just stop.

Just because he seemed physically ok from neck up does not mean he does not need intensive 24 hour nursing care and monitoring

Oh yes he still needs a lot of nursing care. I'm surprised he's still in an NHS hospital - didn't realize that. Thought it was private.

I do agree though that being in a hospital, and not being able to physically see Kate must be terrible for him- why can she not do daily Covid swabs and go in and see him, just one to one.

Most hospitals do not allow visitors currently

@Inkanta

Just because he seemed physically ok from neck up does not mean he does not need intensive 24 hour nursing care and monitoring

Oh yes he still needs a lot of nursing care. I'm surprised he's still in an NHS hospital - didn't realize that. Thought it was private.

Most private hospitals would not be set up to provide ongoing intensive care. If it were just rehab possibly but clearly his situation is more complex and probably involves multiple specialists.

I can’t believe anyone would negatively judge this woman, particularly when they don’t know the full facts and are just guessing. What’s happened to her family and derelict is devastating

I watched it today. Really feel for them all.
I’m sure he gave his consent, and it’s a certainly a programme that every idiot anti-vax we should be made to watch.

*anti-vaxxer

Leave Kate alone. When you're that close to someone, you know their wishes and she is doing everything out of love. I am sure Derek is the kind of person who would want the general public to know the truth about this illness and would want the best for his family and any support they can get.

None of us is in a position to judge Kate and the decisions she makes.
She is clearly and intelligent and insightful woman, and she would not have broadcast this had she not covered all the basics regarding consent.

I am in awe of how she has coped in these horrific circumstances.

I missed it but did it say why Covid affected him so badly? I’ve not seen on the news anyone else that’s been the same. People seem to have died unfortunately, or recovered sometimes with long Covid. Did it say there were others like Derek?

There was one other person like Derek
But it's impossible to pinpoint a reason why he in particular has been affected like this and others aren't

I'm just about to go bed, and will put this on, I've always like Kate, and it's heart breaking to see what the family have had to endure this past year.

I really don't get the criticism here.
Walk a day in her shoes then come back and criticize.

@Thewinterofdiscontent my auntie is her early 50s, healthy, she got covid, it caused blood clots on her brain and she had a severe stroke, she has spent months in hospital and will never be the same.

Programmes like this should make people realise how the families of over 120,000 people in the UK have been affected and to take it seriously. I think Kate and her children are amazing.

Given that he was lucid at the end (at least at points) there is no way that ITV would have included him without his consent. The documentary would have been harrowing and watchable with just Kates part and how she (and her children) were handling it so assume that was the plan if he didnt.

I got the impression with Derek its more that most with his level of symptoms died and he was the exception to the rule who didnt. But it also raised questions of how to cope with this twilight zone of life/death no matter what the cause.

In a different way what they have endured is as difficult to cope with as if he had died because there is no moving on it just stuck

I agree @ssd , a lot of unpleasant people on these recent documentary threads.

Have just watched it. Wow. I have every love and sympathy for Kate. What an amazing woman.

I’ve just watched this. I think opening up her life to show the devastating effect covid has had is brave and important for people to have seen that covid isn’t just flu.