“I knew when we started to see our first few patients coming onto our respiratory wards and into Critical Care that the pandemic would be a marathon and not a sprint. Those initial days and weeks were very much unknown territory for all of us.
“We were working in a very different way and had to source equipment to provide CPAP on the ward, which would usually be supplied in a Critical Care setting. Walnut Ward at Hinchingbrooke and B12 ward at Peterborough City were the respiratory wards, so our staff were pivotal in providing this service.
“There was a lot of fear from some of our staff, especially when you could see the impact that it was having on China and then on Italy, but I tried to maintain a sensible and calm exterior and can do attitude, to reassure and support as much as I possibly could. I very much believe that we should be leading from the front, so I made myself available so that we could talk things through and be there when needed.
“Some days were harder than others. During some of the peaks of each wave it was incredibly hard and updating relatives when they couldn’t see their family member, was also incredibly difficult. Nobody slept particularly well, but I am fortunate that I have a good network of friends and my pets and my partner and I would make the most of our walk each day to try and unwind from the stresses of the day.
“I feel incredibly proud of the way that our staff have coped with the situation and got involved with the Recovery research trial and Siren research trial. Both were pivotal in finding out how to treat patients with Covid with the right medication and how the anti-bodies and immunity works after you have had Covid.
“The current variant has not been as nasty as the previous ones, but the vaccination has been amazing. It was incredibly how quickly it was delivered and how everyone worked together to vaccinate so many people in such as short space of time.”
