Hi everyone. It is my pleasure to be guest blogger this week. My name is Sharon Gilligan and I am the Chief Operating Officer at the Trust.
This is actually my first week back in the office after recovering from COVID and bereavement leave. I have a very personal understanding of how this terrible virus can wreak havoc to individual and families lives and now we are in December. We are all approaching the end of what for many of us has been the most challenging year of our careers and our personal lives. However, there are also many reasons why we should also feel a sense of hope for the future.
As the national lockdown restrictions are eased and places such as shops, salons and gyms reopen, I want to thank you all for your efforts in trying to bring this virus under control. Before the measures were put in place, we saw a huge rise in the number of extremely unwell people that had tested positive for COVID-19. The number of COVID patients on our wards at any one time has been almost double what we saw during the first wave. Thankfully we are now seeing these numbers decrease which just shows the effectiveness of the restrictions.
Please don’t let the work be undone and the sacrifices that many people have made go to waste. If we continue to protect our loved ones by following the guidelines of hands, face and space, I am confident that we will get back to normality sooner. I know Kevin mentions this quite often, but I’d like to mention it too as it is so important.
We should all take this weeks' news of a vaccine being approved as a real glimmer of hope. This brings with it a huge piece of work we are carrying out in collaboration with other NHS and local authority colleagues to set up and run the 'mass testing' centres. As lead organisation for employment, we are recruiting a large number of people to help us with this. We are looking for registered doctors, nurses and pharmacists to give the vaccine and also administrative staff to ensure the smooth running of the clinics. ELHT are coordinating the recruitment for all sites across Lancashire and South Cumbria so if this is something you might want to get involved with then you can find out more on our website.
As the festive season approaches, I know it is going to be very different and difficult this year. It certainly will be for me and my family and we will have empty spaces at our dinner table, as will so many other families up and down the country. So, I’d like to raise awareness of National Grief Awareness Week, which started on 2 December, running to 8 December. This year’s theme is #ShareYourStory and I would encourage you to do that, I have, and it does help to understand that grieving is a normal process but it does and can affect everyone differently. More of us will be grieving for our loved ones, friends and also our patients because of the virus. Please don’t do this alone, as your story may just be someone else's hope. Visit the campaign website for more information.
I want to keep hold of some optimism for moving out of this pandemic, but I know some scars will take much longer to heal. Christmas is not easy for everyone and I am concerned about people suffering from 'burnout'. As the additional stresses of Christmas preparations combine with the work pressures that come at this time of year and the fatigue from the year that has passed. I want you all to take notice of your colleagues and be aware of any signs and symptoms such as increased anxiety or irritability. Have you noticed a colleague is particularly angry, upset or behaving out of character? Maybe you have noticed these in yourself? This could be a sign of burnout, please don’t ignore them. Get help as quickly as possible. One of our colleagues, Bethan Gay, a foundation year 2 doctor did just that and has written about her personal experiences of working on the Critical Care Unit and how seeking help at the right time has enabled her to carry on doing what she loves. You can read Bethan’s story here. Maybe you can relate to her story? If you do, please let us help you.
In the interest of fun, which we could do with at this at the moment, I want to wish Burnley’s very own Jordan North the best of luck tonight in the final of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here. Let’s get behind him and help put Burnley firmly on the map by making him the first-ever ‘King of the Castle’!
Ending on a personal note, thank you to everyone who has passed on supportive message of condolence and well wishes. It has meant an awful lot to me. As we are one big ELHT family, I do ask you to bear with me as I muddle through with a foggy COVID brain, but that’s not to say I’m going to be agreeing to everything you request!
Have a good weekend, rest if you can.
Sharon