Senior NHS manager Kate Lock reports on her experience of working in a West Country hospital dealing with the Covid-19 crisis. Although life is tough for the front line staff, they are being well supported within the hospital and by the community outside.
We are a medium sized hospital, and it is well run with a very supportive culture, even in good times. But now, it's really showing its colours.
Every day, a message from the senior team is sent to all staff congratulating them on their efforts to keep afloat in these difficult times. Thought is being put in at every level to supporting staff - showers so they can get clean before they go home, free food every evening, accommodation to protect families from contagion. A small shop has opened on site selling groceries. Local businesses have been more than generous - we are awash with Easter eggs, local builders have dropped off boxes of eye protectors. A firm even heard that it was hot working in PPE - Personal Protection Equipment - and dropped off bottles of water for the A&E staff.
We have been lucky that the West Country is one of the least affected areas of the country, and numbers in the hospital are still small, although still growing slowly. The patients are a mixture of young and old, I am sure all very scared, but pleased to be looked after by such caring staff. Working in PPE is very difficult. Staff wear a plastic gown - head to toe, gloves, eye mask and face mask. That is for the low risk procedures. When anything is done that might release droplets into the air, new masks are put on that are tight around the eyes, and respirator face masks are worn. The teams tell me that when they come out of theatre they have red lines around their faces as they peel off the masks - sometimes they are working in them for hours at a time. They know that some health workers around the country have died of the virus, and so this protection is lifesaving, but it is hot, uncomfortable and very wearing to work in.
At the same time, the number of general patients coming into the hospital have reduced considerably. We are all scratching our heads wondering why. Clearly, some people have decided not to show up with minor things, looking after themselves a bit more, and that is welcome. Others, however, might be scared to come to the hospital either for fear of catching the virus, or not to bother busy staff. We are encouraging people to come if they need to. We are still open for business! The quietness of the rest of the hospital is slightly eerie. It feels like the calm before the storm.
In fact, all the huge effort by the general public to stay at home seems to be really bearing fruit. Numbers of those catching the virus, and those sadly dying in hospital with it, are both levelling out. The predicted "peak" is being projected into the future, and we still have plenty of beds to accommodate more patients, should they arrive.
I have worked in the NHS since I started as a green, nursing student in the 1980s. I have always felt so privileged to be a part of such an amazing organisation, built on the will of people to help each other - both the staff and the public paying their taxes to fund it. It feels like it is having its time now - and I am grateful and humbled by the thanks I receive, but more importantly, the thanks to others who are working nearer to patients.
We still have a long way to go, but there is a quiet confidence growing that we are managing what is a "once in a 100 year" incident. At least, we very much hope it will be!
Kate Lock is a trustee of the Crediton Heart Project
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