So, returning to the UK was quite eventful. I returned a week early and still have heard nothing from the airlines that my flights were cancelled with.
I have been working shifts in Torbay hospital as a HCA to do my bit in the effort against the coronavirus outbreak. I have worked on a variety of wards, including the Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Admission Unit and also some of the non COVID wards.
One thing I can certainly say is that the NHS is currently coping. However with the peak of the virus due to shortly hit, staff and resources will be stretched to the max and hopefully not to breaking point. Working in the ICU, it is one nurse to one patient, we had 9 patients and 9 staff on, one more patient and we would have been past capacity. The unit holds amazing equipment and the best way to describe it is like working on a spaceship. The only problem, is that it is not designed purposely for a pandemic. Of the 9 patients on the unit, 7 were confirmed COVID-19 and all intubated. The unit was divided in two, one side being "dirty" and the other "clean", and the side rooms in the "clean" side were also in use for covid.
Working in the PPE is hot, exhausting and restricts your communication, it also takes time to don the ppe so nurses working with the patients will stay in the ppe and in the room for periods of up to three hours at a time.
In the side rooms in the "clean" area, the designated nurses use paper towels to write what is needed on and stick it to the window, so that someone can fetch it for them. (photo below)
As a result of working with confirmed COVID-19 cases myself and my wife Becky have came to the hard decision that she and our six month year old daughter to move out of our home and stay with her parents whilst I am in contact with the virus in order to reduce the chance of me transmitting it to either of them. This has not been easy, after a month of being apart I have returned and only a week later we are apart again. This time with no date set to be back together again.
I have secured a job with a private ambulance company in Peterborough providing front line response over the coming months on a four on four off shift rota. The company have been very accommodating and are happy to sign my hours and competencies off for my FREUC 5 in the process. Obviously the distance from home is an issue, so they are providing accommodation for the time I am working. Due to the fact I will be coming back to an empty home, I am hoping to work as much as I can, a; to complete the remaining 475 hours as fast as I can and b; to increase my wages so that I can fund my further education.
The country is only now realising how amazing our healthcare service is, how dedicated the staff are and how much worse it could be. I dread to think what Mexico would be like if it is hit as hard as we have been.
