Health Worker Well-Being & Sustainability
I’ve been a matron at University College Hospital (UCH) in London since 2011 but had actually been on secondment for six months at The Lister Hospital before COVID. I returned to work at UCH on Monday 2 March, the day we received the letter to intensive care hospitals from Italy saying ‘start preparing now’ – we haven’t stopped since. We expanded massively within a very short space of time, going first from 35 to 86 critical care beds then creating a further 22 up on one of the wards. I’m responsible for the ‘3rd floor’ as we call it, which is the critical care area and the theatre area. On our busiest days so far, we’ve seen up to eight new COVID patients, with around 62 critically ill patients.
Los trabajadores de la salud experimentan cargas significativas de las infecciones por coronavirus, incluido el SARS-CoV-2. El uso de EPP y el entrenamiento para el control de infecciones se asocian con una disminución del riesgo de infección, y ciertas exposiciones con un mayor riesgo.
Nearly half of doctors have relied on donated or self-bought PPE (personal protective equipment) and two-thirds don’t feel fully protected from coronavirus, a landmark BMA survey reveals.
Virologist Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, fell ill with COVID-19 in mid-March. He spent a week in a hospital and has been recovering at his home in London since. Climbing a flight of stairs still leaves him breathless.
At the time of writing (11th April 2020) there are 1.72 million Covid?19 infections and 104,889 deaths worldwide. In the UK the first recorded death was on the 5th of March 2020 and in just 37 days 9,875 deaths in hospital have been recorded. The 10th of April saw the highest number of UK daily deaths (980) to date. These UK figures do not include those who died in care homes or in the community. Similar death rates have been experienced in China earlier this year (3,339) and are rising globally with particularly high death rates in the US (18,761 with over half of deaths in New York State), Italy (18,939), Spain (16,353) and France (13,197).
As nurses worldwide feel the pain of prolonged PPE use, we assess the advice on minimising the discomfort caused by marks and visors Nurses have reported skin damage and bruises after wearing personal protective equipment during long shifts. PPE needs to be properly fitted and ideally worn for shorter periods of time, but when this is not possible, there are other ways nurses can reduce the risk of damage. Experts offer advice on avoiding skin damage, emphasising a ‘clean, protect and restore’ approach
Whatever our situation as healthcare professionals—good pacing, refreshment, and support will be key to surviving the long road ahead Here in the UK we have been in lockdown for over six weeks and our personal and professional lives have changed immeasurably. We are starting to face the reality that our lives may never return to “normal.” As healthcare professionals caring for doctors, we are impressed by how our profession has adapted to the new order. However, we are also noticing many of our colleagues, ourselves included, struggling to absorb the enormous changes forced upon us over the last two months.
Doctors have expressed concern over new guidance from Public Health England that recommends reusing personal protective equipment in the face of shortages.1 The guidance, which also recommends alternatives for unavailable equipment, has been seen as an admission by the government of the PPE shortages facing healthcare staff. Rob Harwood, chair of the BMA’s Consultants Committee, said, “This guidance is a further admission of the dire situation that some doctors and healthcare workers continue to find themselves in because of government failings.
Community healthcare workers have become what some have called our “heroes on the ground” during COVID-19. By keeping more people healthier for longer, and increasing productivity, these workers could save South Africa more than R400-billion over 10 years. The question is, when will the country recognise them as integral and pivotal players in the health system? South Africa’s national shutdown has bought the country precious time to prepare for an inevitable rise in COVID-19 cases once lockdown restrictions ease. Presently, the majority of planning has centred around ensuring the country has enough hospital beds, staff and equipment to treat COVID-19 patients. The national health department has also rolled out large-scale screening, testing and tracing programmes using clinics, community healthcare centres and mobile testing units. All three rely on community-level services delivered by community healthcare workers (CHWs).
No rest in sight for NHS staff means taking action to support their mental health