Super humans
INCREDIBLE NHS HEROES ‘NEED THE SUPPORT OF PUBLIC’ IN FIGHT AGAINST CORONAVIRUS
ON THE front lines of the nation’s battle against coronavirus stand the incredible staff of the NHS.
From cradle to grave, the NHS, and the incredible professionals who work in hospitals, GP surgeries, clinics, care homes and more, is a part of British life.
From the surgeons to the porters, the nurses to the catering staff, the physios to the midwives, and the paramedics to the GPs - these heroes battle adversity each day to help us all when we’re at our most vulnerable.
But in the context of the extraordinary circumstances we now find ourselves living in as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, what they’re doing is superhuman, and we’ve never needed them more.
This is possibly most evident in London, as our capital’s hospitals are treating the highest number of cases in the whole of the UK.
Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, and registered nurse, is backing the NHS Heroes campaign.
Here she gives thanks to those fighting coronavirus on the frontlines.
Dame Donna Kinnair’s message
On behalf of all nursing staff, thank you for supporting the NHS Heroes campaign to say thanks to those looking after you in unprecedented circumstances. Readers like you can make an impact on the lives of hard working health and care workers.
On the first day of my nursing training, I couldn’t have imagined that one day I’d be speaking up for nurses in a global health emergency.
Even the most experienced nurse would not be ashamed to say that we’re dealing with the unknown, and that’s one of the things that must be so frightening for the public. But I take heart that while so many questions remain, one certainty is that, us nurses, can count on the support of readers like you.
We need it more than ever to fuel us as we work tirelessly to care for patients affected by Covid-19. Nurses and other staff are working day in – day out to safely nurse patients at risk, in emergency departments, intensive care wards and special testing pods, attempting to minimise spread to other patients and their families.
Our loved ones fear for us when we tell them we need to leave the safety of our homes to do what is best for patients. You can understand why families of nurses are afraid when they read stories of healthcare workers around the world who’ve become seriously ill or died after being exposed to Covid19.
The least we require, in acute care, GP practices, and community healthcare teams, is adequate protective equipment. But nursing staff tell us they’re being left in lurch. NHS staff do not have what they need in to do their jobs safely.
Some nurses won’t have time to drink even a sip of water throughout a twelve-hour shift . The idea of a break, which is essential to make sure nursing staff stay alert and focused, will completely go out the window if people are in need of desperate attention.
At the end of a gruelling shift, visiting patients in the community, or looking after society’s most vulnerable in a care home, nurses face explaining to their children that the supermarket shelves are bare and dinner might require some creativity.
If they’re taking a bus home, they might be spat at by uninformed, ignorant people who think nurses are infecting others.
Not only is this abhorrent behaviour, the truth is that there’s a very low risk of nurses transmitting this disease by their uniforms.
I get asked by friends and family what they can do to help. It’s a tough question. We’re not expecting anyone to take on our jobs. But we ask everyone to follow public health guidance to make sure we’re all safe.
Wash your hands more often than you would for at least 20 seconds with hot water and soap.
Use alcohol hand sanitiser if no soap is available. Respect social distancing and stay home.
You will certainly see many grand displays of affection for the nation’s nurses on social media – so many people seem to send pizzas to hospitals – and if people can afford these gestures, nurses will certainly appreciate them.
But, for those who cannot in these economically unstable times, your support can be as simple as signing up to this amazing campaign.
With your support, we will keep reassuring those who need us through this situation – whether that’s over the phone, in the GP surgery, at a care home, in your own home or in a hospital.
It’s my job is to look after nursing staff . I have every faith that the professionalism and decency of the British public and nurses will keep us going.