Back to Practice with Covid-19

Stopping and starting and stopping again. This has been quite a long, roller-coaster of a journey. For a range of reasons I have decided not to stay on at the Covid-19 Testing Centre. The main reason is that there are too many coordinators in the Covid-19 Test Team. Two new coordinator staff started this week. There may also be more on the way. These new staff are, as indeed most of the rest of the staff in the team, re-deployed from elsewhere in NHS Lothian. I was the only one there from entirely outwith the service. There seemed to be an excess of coordinators and not enough staff or activity for everyone to coordinate. Nor is there presently a need for more testers as all of the available shifts for testing seem to be well covered and the contact tracing aspect is also up and ready to run elsewhere in NHS Lothian. I have no wish undertake a role which seems largely supernumerary and it is far easier for me to withdraw than those seconded from elsewhere. I am happy to leave ...

Well that was an interesting couple of days. Spent the first morning of day one looking at a plethora of folders with various newly developed procedures and protocols relating to the work of the Covid-19 Testing Team. These range from swabbing techniques, PPE donning and doffing procedures, testing criteria, outreach clinic protocols etc. In the afternoon I went out with the Outreach Team to test a bunch of staff in an Edinburgh nursing home. Day two was spent with the drive through test team for the first part of the morning where the wind was beginning to pick up and blow quite a bit. Most of the rest of the rest of the day was spent working through more files and folders of information including some online, although I don’t yet have my own access to internet, email or shared folders. It has become clear that my new boss is not particularly interested in my swabbing prowess and more interested in any ...

  Hi ho, hi ho, it’s b ack to work I go. Spent half a day today with the very approachable and friendly Covid-19 testing team at Chalmers Test Centre. Most of my time was spent talking through how it all worked along with some local induction bits and pieces. This was followed by good wee spell watching and shadowing the team in action as they tested NHS staff and relatives in the drive through test centre. The team also do outreach testing in care homes, hostels and other locations as required. Biggest job for me so far is to learn is how to tie a plastic apron behind my back with surgical gloves on. It’s harder than i t sounds! The rest of the PPE kit was a doddle by comparison. The throat and nasopharyngeal swabbing is pretty uncomfortable for the recipient but fairly straightforward to deliver. The plan now is to collect some uniforms in the next day or so and return to the test centre for a couple of full shifts on Thursday and Friday of this ...

Nothing much has happened in the fortnight since I last blogged. I was fairly sure that my retirement was safe and there w ould be no return to work. T here has been h owever some movement since then. I understand that there was some initial interest from former colleagues in NHS Lothian Public Health in some sort of role in the test, trace, isolate programme. Bu t the lead for this programme is national and not local and so they were not currently able to offer me a role . My own feeling is that this process would work better if locally led with good central support and guidance, but what do I know, I’ve been retired for thre e and a half years. Despite this I am going to meet with someone from the coronavirus testing team service at Chalmers Hospital tomorrow to see if there is a role I can play there. I will of course let you know how I get on.

Okay I’m officially putting my return to the NHS on hold. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks blowing hot and cold on possible roles I could undertake, and following discussion, especially with friends still currently working in the NHS, I’ve decided to pause the process from my end. It’s been nearly seven weeks of a rather tortuous process which has so far led to an as yet unrealised and tentative offer of a role where I think I may be more of an obstacle and a nuisance than a genuine help. I have heard from colleagues in the NHS that as well as being inundated with Easter Eggs, free food and all kinds of well meaning but not always usable PPE kit, they are also quite well off for staff at the moment. In fact they are struggling to find roles for redeployed staff, NHS returnees and volunteers.  The service planned successfully for a peak that, while obviously bad for far too many individuals, was nowhere near as overwhelming for the NHS...