As we grapple to come to terms with the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives continue to fluctuate and meander around daily updates and information about protective equipment and how to protect our patients and ourselves. The mantras have become well known to us all: ‘Stay Home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives' and ‘Stay Alert. Control the Virus. Save Lives.’ They have helped to stop an overwhelming collapse of NHS services, but have also pushed the boundaries of what has been achievable in terms of patient care.
The reality is that patients' investigations and treatments have been delayed, which now leaves us playing ‘catch up’ to mitigate the effects of the delays, which have had devastating consequences for some individuals. Although the message has been adjusted from ‘Stay Home’ to ‘Stay Alert’, there is still no clarity about how long the uncertainty will last. Undoubtedly, the public are feeling the need for some freedom and a reduction of restrictions, but the stark truth is that the coronavirus remains in the community and should not be underestimated.
“Specialist stoma nurses are both resilient and adaptable, thinking outside the box to find alternative ways to maintain the quality of service they provide”
Although testing and tracing, as well as vaccination plans, are unfolding gradually, nurses remain at the forefront of care provision both in hospital and the community. Our stoma patients are advised to shield at home for 14 days post-surgery and our existing patients are following the Government guidelines according to their age and underlying conditions. They are, however, adapting to the use of technology to convey messages and data regarding clinical problems. This necessitates the need for safe and confidential access to approved video conferencing platforms, such as Skype or Vidyo, or safe NHS email addresses to which they can submit information and data.
Patients with situations that cannot be managed in this way can still be seen face-to-face in a clinic environment, albeit under strict guidance and with the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
The underlying message is that the patient does not suffer as a result of a pandemic; staff are doing their utmost to maintain services to prevent harm. Specialist stoma nurses are both resilient and adaptable, thinking outside the box to find alternative ways to maintain the quality of service they provide.
Nurses will always respond well to a crisis. However, rising to the challenge during a crisis can take its toll. Burnout and stress-related reactions are being seen and the NHS has responded with three guiding principles of protecting, supporting and engaging staff (NHS England, 2020). Advice and guidance from the Royal College of Nursing (2020) details helpful resources covering all aspects of nurses' concerns, including finances, mental health and wellbeing and PPE, to name a few.
The public debate around staff pay will continue. The disappointment for nurses in the recent public sector pay award did not go unnoticed, with campaigns for fairer pay being staged in protest.
The year 2020 certainly is the ‘Year of the Nurse’ and this campaign has definitely come into its own during the crisis. My previous editorial discussed the value of nurse awards. To my mind, all nurses deserve an award, not just because there has been a crisis, but for their ability to keep going despite the hurdles. We sometimes stumble, but we always get up again and carry on along the road to ensure that the NHS does not falter, that patients' care is not jeopardised, and for that we can hold our heads high.