A tough time for all

Little did we know when the international year of the nurse begun only three month ago that we would be facing the biggest world health challenge in 100 years. Not since the great flu epidemic of 1918/1919 have we seen anything on this scale. This will challenge all heath care workers, and the population as a whole, like never before. The RCN is committed to supporting its members through this difficult time and please ensure you keep up to date with the information being produced.

You will be receiving emails twice a week on Monday and Friday and also the COVID-19 page is being updated every day.

The FAQ page under ‘What you need to know’ has a wealth of information so do check it out.  If you are not getting emails please check your settings in My RCN.

As you may know I am a Matron in Poole covering  specialist medicine, cardiology, ambulatory care and specialist nursing services. Never in 35 years of nursing have I seen preparations like this for a pandemic. We are working round the clock, as I am sure you all are, to meet the challenge. I would also like to mention the private sectors who are also working to support the NHS at this time, great collaborative work and I thank you.

From cleaners to consultants, staff and volunteers, everyone is pulling together, but there do remain challenges such as PPE and advice. If I can just say, this is an ever-moving challenge across the board, information is coming out several times a day from Public Health England and the Government which in itself creates anxiety. Remember to protect yourself and seek advice if you have any doubt about how to do so.

In my own role I am not only trying to ensure my services are ready to help but importantly too working as RCN Council member, Chair of Staff Side and RCN Chair of Dorset Branch helping and advising RCN members. Please remember that the RCN regional staff are there to help and support you.  As many of us RCN reps are on the front line it is often difficult to get back to you as quickly as we would like so please go through RCN Direct so that you get the quickest response to your query. I am in hospital every morning at 6:00 am and home sometime after 6:00 pm - I know many of you are doing the same, but please remember you need rest too and when tired we become more vulnerable to infection. So I apologise if I cannot get back to people as quickly as I would like, but the pressures in the day job are high.

We in RCN Council are daily (sometimes several times a day) in contact with each other to look at the issues together and discussing ways we can support members. As a region the team are on the end of a phone or email and able to give advice and help as required. Lucy Muchina, our RCN South West Regional Director and Nettie Jones, the RCN South West Regional Board Chair and I are also in regular contact. RCN Council will not be meeting in London but will be teleconferencing into the next Council meeting. Communication and IT can play havoc at times so please bear with us and rest assured we are there. It is sad that we had to cancel Congress but the decision needed to be made quickly in view of the changing landscape. I feel, as I am sure you do, it was the right thing for BJ and the team to do.

My particular worry and one I am pursuing at my trust and as a RCN Council member is the need for good staff psychological support. We are social creatures and self-isolation and social distancing go against our natural instincts. This, together with the fears and anxieties at work, within the family for vulnerable members and the socioeconomic situation, increases our stress. We must also remember our colleagues from other countries who will not be able to get to see family members and will feel particularly isolated. The stopping of international travel and boarder closures is obviously compounding this.

I urge you to look at your phone and address books and contact someone you have not spoken to in a while to see how they are. Seek out colleagues you may feel are struggling and offer an area to talk in (keeping the prescribed distance). In my trust I am putting forward the following:

• That we look at social areas (with the appropriate distance in between) where staff who feel lonely (they may live alone or be here from another country) can come to speak to someone confidentially (perhaps the PALS hub). 
• Availability of appropriately trained counselors/ psychologists to be on hand to offer support. 
• Phone counselling services and face-to-face support where appropriate and able to be done safely.
• HR staff to be on hand to answer questions for staff who are worried about their health and safety during this time.
• We are working together with the HR teams on this and I am sure our local reps will be doing the same in your workplace. Staff from all disciplines are under tremendous pressure and we need to support each other no matter there area of work in health care. Statistics from other conflicts and crisis show that, while staff need help at the time, it’s afterwards when the crisis is over that the most help is needed and we should be aware of this also.

Friends, this will challenge us like never before, but we can do this. At times of stress we need to be caring of each other, a kind word goes a long way and a smile even further.

We are all frightened but together we will prevail.

"Live life when you have it. Life is a splendid gift – there is nothing small about it." - Florence Nightingale 1820 - 1910


Best Wishes
Geoffrey

Please follow me on Twitter @gwalkerpoole1 and now on Facebook.