Joy, collaboration and leadership

 

It is a busy time for the NHS.  Wards and A&E are full, staff are exhausted, but you don’t need me to tell you that.

This Christmas I had Covid myself – it was worse than I thought it would be.  Watching your household go down with it was scary – especially my daughter.  Thankfully we are all on the mend, but the recovery is slower than I expected.  As a fully-fledged member of #EarlyRisersClub and a runner, I’m still slow to get out of bed at the moment.  I still do not have the lung capacity for running yet but I have managed some walks which I am so grateful for, I know I am far luckier than some. 

On my return to work I was asked to cover wards due to staffing and do some zoom calls – meaning all my meetings, my schedule, all the work I had to do stopped.  I have seen first-hand how pushed we have been and I have seen first-hand how amazing our NHS is.

On the wards I worked directly alongside several HCA’s, a TNA and international nurses.  We worked hard, patient care was tip top, and I met so many of our fabulous patients.  I never tire of hearing stories of their life, being with patients brings me so much joy and I have missed direct clinical work.  As a clinical educator it was lovely to catch up with so many of my preceptees and TNA.  I enjoyed hearing of their experiences, how they have grown, the challenges they have faced and overcome.  I would not have had that direct one on one time had I not been redeployed.  I am so proud of them.

I saw great leadership.  I saw HCA’s leading care in the bays and teaching a new student nurse.  I saw an international nurse lead a transfer.  I saw the Assistant Director of Nursing wheeling patients round herself!!  We also had very public thank you’s and appreciation from our Director of Nursing.  I love how pandemic nursing brings us all together and how we collaborate to deliver safe patient care.  Most of all I saw great kindness, to patients and to each other.

Pandemic nursing has brought me many experiences and I have learnt so much – I wonder what the next week will hold?  Hopefully more joy, collaboration and great leadership.

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