Life’s like on the frontline
got it, but the majority of them have got better. To the staff who are putting PPE on day after day after day, I take my hat off to them.”
For staff on the frontline who are struggling with the demands of the unit, Ceri said a “wobble room” has been set up full of activities, snacks and things to take their minds off the job.
“We have been donated lots and lots of stuff, including nice food and drink, and we’ve been given lovely toiletries as we have to shower in work and change our clothes before we go home. That whole process can be exhausting sometimes at the end of a shift.
“And during handover we’ve tried to find one positive thing that’s happened during the shift. We then play an uplifting piece of music. We’ve had a few arguments about what we are going to play, but it always puts us in a better mood.”
Both Ceri and Penny believe the number of Covid-19 cases they are seeing is beginning to slow down as a result of the lockdown having a positive impact.
“But I fear we will have another surge bigger than this one,” admitted Ceri, who also works at the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil and is a specialist in anaesthetics.
“It’s just a case of how much stamina we have to cope with this for potentially the rest of this year.
“And even when all of this is over, there will be a huge backlog of people who had their elective surgery cancelled who will need to be seen by us after having their ops. Some staff will need a break.”
Ceri concluded by urging people with serious, non Covid-19-related conditions to continue coming into hospital.
“The department is still open for business,” she added. “I’m worried that people are staying at home and suffering with things like heart attacks and strokes in their own homes. We are not seeing the typical numbers we’d expect.”