So long and thanks for all the fish...


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 as was feared. And now, as a consequence, in some areas there can be as many redeployed staff shadowing and learning as experienced staff on some shifts. There are even staff who have been sent home in some parts of the country just as other back office and admin staff have been. This situation seems likely to continue until the NHS reviews its Covid-19 response, looks to plan for any second or subsequent peak and refocuses it efforts to deal with the backlog of non-Covid work that has built up in the background.

If there is a role for me in the coming months then, given my skills and experience in community public health, it may be most usefully applied as a contribution towards the test, trace and isolate phase that will be essential in order to lift some of our current physical and social restrictions and learn to manage and live with this coronavirus in the medium term. At least until a vaccine is identified, developed, tested, mass produced, distributed and delivered to the majority of the worlds population. There may well be more than enough staff to take this on as it stands but if not I’ll happily play a part if there is one for me.

In the meantime I shall pause this blog until the situation changes. Thanks to all for taking the time to read this over the last couple of months. Take care and stay safe.

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