Stoma care nurses: always ready to rise to the challenge

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.