Facing the Public Health Front Line By Valerie White

The days are now blurring into one, but I think it was last Thursday that I came home from work to find my husband sitting at the dinner table with my inconsolable 4 year old daughter. She had an ice pack on her hands and was too upset to tell me what was wrong. My husband explained that her hands were sore because of all the handwashing she had been doing – she withdrew her hands from the ice pack and I was horrified to see how red raw her little hands were and something inside of me broke.

It is fair to say that Public Health is rarely thought of as front line service, but over the last few weeks our Health Protection Team has very much been on the front line of this Pandemic. Our goal – to do what we can to hold back the spread of COVID19 and provide advice and support to our health and social care system and wider partners to prepare for what is to come. As the enormity of what we are facing becomes ever clearer and the demands on us escalate this has at times felt overwhelming.

I recall at one point being on a video call with my landline and mobile phone both ringing, my e-mail inbox going crazy and the message your inbox is nearly full adding to the stress. There was a white noise in my head and I just want to scream.

In the last couple of weeks there have been times when I have not been the department lead I would like to be, I have snapped at staff who have just come to check that I am ok and been abrupt when they have wanted to discuss their worries – I am so sorry.

Whilst being focussed on the wider Public Health effort I have had to delegate to (my very capable) colleagues matters related to dentistry. This is during a time of unimaginable happenings when my profession has effectively downed tools and dental practices have shut up shop. I have felt incredibly guilty to not be fully able to support my professional colleagues at this difficult time.

But through all this there are things to be proud of……

Our Health Protection Team (HPT) have kept it together and done what is necessary in a time of constantly changing goal posts and guidance, when the BBC news seems to know what is going on before we do. They have fielded calls from distressed, worried and at times angry colleagues and members of the public who are understandably frustrated at this perplexing situation. HPT – thank you so much.

The wider Public Health team, have also been fantastic, offering any support they can give to the Health Protection Team or the wider organisation. For them, as it will be for many other staff across our organisation, this is a bewildering time. For many their day jobs have ceased  or are ceasing and they must come to terms with the reality that in the coming weeks they will be doing a completely different job, working somewhere else for someone else, in support of the wider health and social care effort. This is in addition to the realisation that they have loved ones and friends who are at risk of COVID19 being a more severe disease and they will not be able to see them for quite some time. Some staff themselves may also be in these higher risk categories and worried about what the future holds. Compound this with worries about childcare, the impact of school closures on their children’s education but more importantly how this situation could impact on their mental health, the effects of a shut down of the economy on family finances and it is easy to see the heightened state of anxiety and emotion that we are all going through.

But even with all this going on, what I have seen in colleagues and partners is strength and focus, with a determination to pull together and do what is necessary to support our front line staff and wider community to face what is to come.

Trying to focus on the simple things like cuddles and laughter with my children, lighter evenings, daffodils in bloom, the daily telephone check ins with my mum are what helps to keep me going.

But folks this is enormous and it is ok and completely natural to feel overwhelmed at times just like I was last week – you are not alone.

As I have said many times we are a great team in D&G and I mean that in its very widest sense our health and social care services, wider public, independent and voluntary sector partners, individuals and communities.

As the front line moves and the real impact of this pandemic hits we will face it together and we will get through this.

Valerie White is Interim Director of Public Health and Professional Lead for Dental and Oral Health Services

 

 

 

 

Enough Love by Ken Donaldson

I was out for a run the other morning (yes, despite the physique I do run. I also eat) and was listening to a random music selection. An oldie by Genesis, Land of Confusion, came on. I smiled wryly as I listened to the lyrics. Lines such as ‘Too many problems’ and ‘losing control by the hour’ certainly resonated.

The past few weeks have been simply unbelievable. The initial adrenaline rush brought on by the Covid 19 crisis has started to dissipate and the realisation of what is coming and how this will affect us is sinking in. The purpose of this blog is not to discuss all the plans we are working through and what needs to happen over the next few days and weeks to make us as ready for this as we can be. The purpose of this blog is to talk about us. When I say us I was thinking NHS D&G but in reality I realise I mean everyone working together with the NHS through these difficult times; social workers, carers, police, council, fire and safety, third sector etc etc. Actually what I now realise is that I mean the People of Dumfries and Galloway. All of us.

What I have witnessed over the past few weeks has been a simply astonishing response to this impending crisis. Those in the critical areas; Primary and Community Care, Emergency Dept, Combined Assessment Unit, Critical Care Unit have stepped forward with plans to significantly alter services and ensure they can cope. Those in other areas less critical stepping forward to offer their skills and time to support services in any way they can.

All this is amazing and, I can’t deny, that when I have been feeling particularly stressed, it has made me feel emotional. But its the small things that have brought on the tears; the catering assistant when I was paying for my lunch who gently laid her hand on my arm and asked if I was ok (I know, she shouldn’t have, infection control etc but it was a lovely gesture), the colleague making a point of stopping me to ask if I was all right, another who offered a hug. I mention these for a specific reason.

Whilst I may be feeling a little stressed just now in a few weeks we are all going to be facing simply unprecedented pressures. Quite a few of us will be sick with this virus, we will have friends and family suffering and work will be relentless. We need to cling on to these small gestures. Simple acts of kindness are going to help keep us going through the dark times.

I was at a meeting with Valerie White, Interim Director of Public Health, and she said words to this effect “This is going to be really hard and we all need to work together but I can say without any shadow of a doubt that there is nowhere else I would rather face this than Dumfries and Galloway. The commitment I am seeing from everyone and the willingness to work together is amazing.” I can only echo Valerie.

Returning to that song, Land of Confusion, there was another line that stuck out; “There’s not enough love to go round”. Now this is one I totally disagree with, in Dumfries and Galloway I think there is enough love to go round, and then some.

Take care everyone. We can do this together.

Ken Donaldson is Medical Director at NHS Dumfries and Galloway

*Image taken from “The Boy, the mole, the fox and the horse” by Charlie Mackesy