ICU Patient Support Group – Psychological Services Information for Previous ICU Patients

Patient Experience

  • Reference Number: HEY1389-2023
  • Departments: Psychology Services
  • Last Updated: 1 December 2023
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Support beyond ICU

Following discharge from ICU, it is normal to experience a range of physical and psychological difficulties.

Patients will often experience difficulty in remembering and making sense of their time on the unit and may also experience flashbacks of this time.

It can be helpful to talk about these difficulties with a trained professional who can offer you support and strategies to help.

The following page lists available services in the local community which you can self-refer to for psychological support.

Local Services

Therapy Support: 

Hull Talking Therapies Service:  Call 01482 247 111 or refer online  https://www.letstalkhull.co.uk

East Riding Talking Therapies Service: Call 01482 335 451 or refer online https://eastridingtalkingtherapies.humber.nhs.uk

Cruse Bereavement Care: Call 01482 565 565 or visit the Cruse website on https://www.cruse.org.uk 

Health Support:

Your GP: If you are struggling with particular health concerns, ensure you get in touch with your GP and arrange an appointment.

Crisis Support:

There are support services available for you if you are experiencing a mental health crisis. These services are available 24/7. Please know you are not alone:

Adult Mental Health Advice and Support Line: Call tel: 0800 138 0990

Samaritans: Call 118 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

Text ‘SHOUT’ (confidential crisis text messaging service) to: 85258

Useful Resources

Listed below are some websites and resources which you may find helpful to have a look through:

Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma has produced an information leaflet about trauma and ICU which can be found here: https://oxcadatresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Post-ICU-PTSD-patient-leaflet-final.pdf

The NHS website has useful information on their website regarding time in Intensive Care as well as after discharge: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/intensive-care/

ICU Steps is a charity for ICU patients. Their website offers a range of information booklets, covering topics such as breathing after critical illness, worry after critical care and recovery after critical illness: https://icusteps.org/information/information-sheets

The Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine has a lot of helpful information on their website about ICU which includes videos from patients sharing both their experiences of being in critical care as well as their recovery journey: https://www.ficm.ac.uk/forpatientsrecoveryafterintensivecare/going-home-following-a-critical-care-admission