In war against Covid
the police, with rules and systems to follow, dealing with the public, writing up reports and updating case notes and such like.
“It’s satisfying when you’re able to help or offer advice or reassurance to someone who is worried about Covid.”
Kenny, who served as a police officer for more than 30 years, says the most difficult calls he’s handled are from people who are suddenly bereaved, having lost a family member during the night to Covid.
He said: “One caller was obviously very upset and confused. Sometimes, if someone’s just been bereaved they can quite understandably be angry and upset. But, due to my experience in the police, I’m able to deal with that.”
Also working as a contact tracer is retired academic Mark Ingram, who was head of the Faculty in Engineering and Automotive at New College Lanarkshire.
Mark, 61, says the dedication of NHS workers in the early stages of the pandemic inspired him to join the team.
“I watched in awe at the amazing job our National Health Service were doing to keep us safe and save lives and felt a strong desire to help in any way I could,” said Mark, who is proud to be playing his part in helping to reduce community transmission of the virus.
While he’s handled some challenging phone calls, Mark, of Carluke, says he finds the role extremely rewarding.
“I get a great deal of satisfaction at the end of my shift, knowing that I have played an important role in helping people to self-isolate safely and reduce the number of people who potentially may have caught the virus otherwise,” he explained. “Most people I talk to have been very helpful and supportive of what our team are trying to achieve.
“During each call, you feel as though, for a brief moment, you are part of someone’s family, talking about their partners, children, and friends, what they work as, what their day or week has been like, how they’re feeling, their worries and concerns.
“You try and work with them to reduce the risk of onward infection to their family and friends and keep them safe. It is like no other job I have ever done before.”
Paying tribute to the many staff who have redeployed during the last 12 months, as well as those who have joined contact tracing and vaccination teams from outside the health service, NHS Lanarkshire chief executive Heather Knox said: “As we mark the anniversary of Covid-19 arriving in Scotland, I would like to thank NHS Lanarkshire staff for their flexibility, dedication and resilience in the face of this unprecedented challenge.
“I’d also like to acknowledge all those who have joined our ranks to help keep all of us safe.
“We have had nearly 38,000 cases in our health board area alone, but that number would have been much higher had it not been for the unswerving patience and sacrifice of the community, who saw their NHS change so much in the last year and helped us, by sticking with the restrictions.”