Fighing The Pandemic

Our heros on the front line

“I have been a nurse for 14 years, working in critical care for nearly 11 of those. It is my passion and I have worked my way up to Practice Educator/Senior Sister - with my focus being education and well being of my team. I am responsible for the training and development of staff and work very much clinically to ensure our practice is up to date and patients are at the forefront of all we do.” NatalieQ A& Natalie’s

When did you first find out about coronavirus and how? Story

Firstly hearing on the news and not really truly appreciating the significance. I’ve worked through Swine Flu pregnant and wrongly assumed we How did you react when you found out? would be under pressure with hospitals becoming busier than normal, Worry, once I realised how contabut nothing to the extent of Covid19. gious COVID-19 was and the impact

I remember speaking to my family of the illness on patients, the realiand colleagues once the initial news ty of potentially contracting it and reports came out regarding outbreaks the fear of accidentally carrying it and changes to pandemic status in or making my loved ones ill scared

China. The severity of it hit once cas- me. If I’m honest I didn’t really have es rapidly began spreading to the UK time to think as it all unravelled early in the new year of 2020. very fast. 06.

“I don’t belive that anything could truly prepare you for working through a pandemic.”

Did your working eviroment change, if so how?

Yes, very much so. Right from the onset my employers ensured we had the correct PPE and we began rapid training regarding safe donning - or application of PPE & doffing - discarding of soiled PPE. We had many briefings regarding how we would respond and to attempt to prepare us for what might come our way. But ultimately - even with vast experience within the Critical care setting. Our unit prepared to escalate beyond normal capacity - meaning we would be able to accept a greater number of patients than we normally would and provide critical care for them. Equipment was scurried together and staff from other areas within the hospital were given emergency surge training mean that they would then be able to work alongside us and support us during our busiest periods.