My COVID experience working in the NHS
As lockdown begins to ease and the government announces that we now moving from alert level 4 to 3. I thought now is a good time to reflect upon my experience working in the NHS and the impact this virus has had upon me personally and in my role as a physiotherapist. Whilst we can’t get too complacent with the lockdown easing and must continue to follow government guidance to ensure the safety of ourselves and others. Hospital life is slowly returning to normal with outpatient appointments and elective surgeries restarting again. One of the main things I’ve learnt from this experience is how well we have come together to help and support one another. I’ve never felt more proud working in the NHS as a physiotherapist.
A quote I would like to share:
“One of the most important things you can do on this earth is let people know they are not alone”
Prior to the pandemic I was assigned to an elderly medicine rotation in a hospital setting. I was assigned my ward and worked alongside an occupational therapist to help patients in their recovery from illness and support in discharge planning. It must have been a few weeks into the rotation before the outbreak of covid hit the country. My trust had begun early measures to ensure bed capacity was never reached whilst also communicating clear PPE guidance for all staff to adhere too. As covid positive patients started to be admitted into the hospital it was clear that things became uncertain. ‘Unsettling’ is how I would describe the early stages of the pandemic as we didn’t know what was coming.
After about 4 weeks of lockdown I witnessed significant changes in the hospital. Normal care of the elderly wards were split into covid or non-covid wards. I was assigned to a covid ward, helping patients get better from a physical and functional perspective. I quickly learnt that patients with the virus would fatigue quicker than normal, having shortness of breath, coughing regularly as well as experiencing some confusion. Oxygen was provided for those who were unable to help maintain their blood oxygen levels. Patient symptoms would fluctuate from day-to-day making assessments and rehab difficult.
I discovered that those with multiple health conditions would be more risk from the corona virus than healthy individuals. Research shows that people who were significantly unwell with conditions such as obesity, heart disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes are more likely to experience greater difficulty fighting off the condition. Whereas, those who were fit and healthy recovered well from the virus and this was seen first-hand whilst working on a covid ward (REF). Interestingly, all conditions mentioned above are modifiable with positive lifestyle changes. Although we can’t help getting old, we can choose to lead a healthy and more active lifestyle to better protect us against chronic health conditions and viruses.
The worrying reality is that we as a nation are NOT meeting the minimum requirements for basic physical activity. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week (REF). A lot of people will be able to acknowledge the benefits of adhering to a healthy and active lifestyle. Given the current global burden of covid it is more important than ever before to make these positive health changes now. I have included in this blog a poster to help guide individuals with their exercise prescription during these restricted measures.
I firmly believe that it is never too late to make a positive change! It just involves motivation, planning and goal setting. All of which we can help you with at Principle Physiotherapy. We are not just a Physio clinic that fixes your injuries, we are here to support you in all aspects of your health and wellbeing.
