"I will never get over seeing whole families and healthcare workers die": Bearing witness to the experiences of NHS staff during the first pandemic year
"I will never get over seeing whole families and healthcare workers die": Bearing witness to the experiences of NHS staff during the first pandemic year
Taking blood from a ventilated, coma, Septicemia patient on ICU, yellow, grey, beep, beep, hiss.
@ 50 years ago, no, you dont forget, just tuck in a corner.
The one that stays me from COVID, apart from my personal battle in 04.2020, photo US Houston Chief Of Staff, full armour, infected patient leaning head on his chest, comfort, no you don't forget, just a sad tear from time to time.
My father died in 2021 from Covid but I was very grateful to the staff looked after him. They were so obviously tired and overworked by situation but they were caring for people as best they could.
Goodness this is hard to read. I want to go and read the longer versions now and will do later. We just expected these people to "man up" and get on with it. Completely out of their comfort or training zones. And when on the front line, we thrashed them half to death. The analogy of front line Covid in the NHS and the Front Line in WW1, which we make great fuss about today, is startlingly strong. But I don't see those "mourning" 1916 losses giving a fig about the NHS staff so brutally cut down or damaged.
One of the quotes says how knowing the rule givers were just ignoring the rules and partying regardless made them feel hopeless. It made me realise just how stupid those people were. They seriously thought it couldn't happen to them. The last thing I wanted to do was be near anyone. If I had to be I was seriously masked not just balancing a big of paper on my chin, and I got out of there as soon as I could and went home. Home was safe.
Last night we went out for dinner with friends. 7 of us in total. I still don't feel safe doing this. We do it every 6 weeks. Last night, although in a village pub just down the road and not what you would think of as a draw of outside crowds, the place was packed. I will be worried now for the next week. Just hoping that my vaccinations and luck hold out. But at dinner Covid was mentioned and one man, older, not long had a heart attack and intelligent, said "goodness, are people still catching that". I could not believe what I heard. People have the brains of goldfish.
Thank you for giving voice to those who died and those who survived the most brutal and traumatic reality, and for those physically or mentally disabled by their proximity to caring for those in crisis. As someone who is still recovering from long covid I feel that the level of indifference is still beyond belief. As if we have psychotic goldfish in charge. We must not forget, and if there were any justice in the world those trampled by the mismanagement would have their day in court. The madness meanwhile still continues...
This made me cry. I worked in NHS mental health services at the start of the pandemic but I left, as there was an expectation to just carry on with no protection as we were not on the Covid frontline. As someone with co-morbidities I was not prepared to risk my health in that way.
This article brought it back to me how frightening that time was, and how we can’t just move on from this and pretend that life has gone back to normal. Covid has left massive scars and psychological trauma that will cast a long shadow. This alongside the very real physical issues that are ongoing from Covid.
Certainly history is being rewritten, particularly in the right wing press. I wasn't in a front line area of the NHS but the impact was still enormous. Nobody knew what the virus was going to do, how many would die, or what Government policy was. The debate around the Excel centre was initially would it be a factory scale morgue. Training of doctors nurses dentists etc was suspended as they were shifted to direct patient care. Everybody was working ridiculous hours to try and reorganise. I used to think Simon Stevens was a good advocate for the NHS compared to his predecessors but after his appearance at the Select Committee I wonder if he had a clue.
And now we are back to the Treasury wanting "financial balance" as its priority. I'm glad I retired.
Thank you for collating this important record
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/30/covid-photo-varon/
Thank you for writing this. It is a difficult read I can only imagine how hard it must have been to write.
Myself and my partner lived apart at that time and took two long breaks (3months +) to avoid catching it and were successful.
Thank you to all who worked in the NHS and healthcare at that time and since.
Taking blood from a ventilated, coma, Septicemia patient on ICU, yellow, grey, beep, beep, hiss.
@ 50 years ago, no, you dont forget, just tuck in a corner.
The one that stays me from COVID, apart from my personal battle in 04.2020, photo US Houston Chief Of Staff, full armour, infected patient leaning head on his chest, comfort, no you don't forget, just a sad tear from time to time.
Frontline NHS worker.
I prepaid my funeral in April 2020
Thank you.
My father died in 2021 from Covid but I was very grateful to the staff looked after him. They were so obviously tired and overworked by situation but they were caring for people as best they could.
Goodness this is hard to read. I want to go and read the longer versions now and will do later. We just expected these people to "man up" and get on with it. Completely out of their comfort or training zones. And when on the front line, we thrashed them half to death. The analogy of front line Covid in the NHS and the Front Line in WW1, which we make great fuss about today, is startlingly strong. But I don't see those "mourning" 1916 losses giving a fig about the NHS staff so brutally cut down or damaged.
One of the quotes says how knowing the rule givers were just ignoring the rules and partying regardless made them feel hopeless. It made me realise just how stupid those people were. They seriously thought it couldn't happen to them. The last thing I wanted to do was be near anyone. If I had to be I was seriously masked not just balancing a big of paper on my chin, and I got out of there as soon as I could and went home. Home was safe.
Last night we went out for dinner with friends. 7 of us in total. I still don't feel safe doing this. We do it every 6 weeks. Last night, although in a village pub just down the road and not what you would think of as a draw of outside crowds, the place was packed. I will be worried now for the next week. Just hoping that my vaccinations and luck hold out. But at dinner Covid was mentioned and one man, older, not long had a heart attack and intelligent, said "goodness, are people still catching that". I could not believe what I heard. People have the brains of goldfish.
Thank you for giving voice to those who died and those who survived the most brutal and traumatic reality, and for those physically or mentally disabled by their proximity to caring for those in crisis. As someone who is still recovering from long covid I feel that the level of indifference is still beyond belief. As if we have psychotic goldfish in charge. We must not forget, and if there were any justice in the world those trampled by the mismanagement would have their day in court. The madness meanwhile still continues...
This made me cry. I worked in NHS mental health services at the start of the pandemic but I left, as there was an expectation to just carry on with no protection as we were not on the Covid frontline. As someone with co-morbidities I was not prepared to risk my health in that way.
This article brought it back to me how frightening that time was, and how we can’t just move on from this and pretend that life has gone back to normal. Covid has left massive scars and psychological trauma that will cast a long shadow. This alongside the very real physical issues that are ongoing from Covid.
Truly tragic.
thank you! may I share this comment on Twitter?
Yes you can
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I don’t mind you showing my name. Thanks for asking.
Certainly history is being rewritten, particularly in the right wing press. I wasn't in a front line area of the NHS but the impact was still enormous. Nobody knew what the virus was going to do, how many would die, or what Government policy was. The debate around the Excel centre was initially would it be a factory scale morgue. Training of doctors nurses dentists etc was suspended as they were shifted to direct patient care. Everybody was working ridiculous hours to try and reorganise. I used to think Simon Stevens was a good advocate for the NHS compared to his predecessors but after his appearance at the Select Committee I wonder if he had a clue.
And now we are back to the Treasury wanting "financial balance" as its priority. I'm glad I retired.