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| Here's me (top) and Sophie Ogden (bottom) |
surreal strangeness of the world we are currently living in with empty roads, deserted beaches and quiet beauty spots.
So, beneath the bright sunshine – and while the NHS carried on working - the egg hunts, picnics, paddling and even camping were kept to gardens as most Brits stoically stuck to the lockdown rules.
The holiday wasn’t cancelled, people just celebrated and enjoyed it in different ways.
I saw a tweet that said, ‘We’re apart in uncertain times, but together in spirit and song’. And that’s certainly what I’m seeing every day, from virtual choirs, songs and poetry to street dancing and TikTok videos.
Of course, the huge stress and distress people are feeling hasn’t gone away, and this week has been especially hard for a number of our wards as we have sadly lost patients
to the virus. But the simple things are keeping us going and people are doing everything they can to keep spirits high - helping to boost us in these scary times.
to the virus. But the simple things are keeping us going and people are doing everything they can to keep spirits high - helping to boost us in these scary times.
And, when it comes to dancing, Pennine Care certainly has talent! Your TikTok videos on Twitter are really helping to lift all of our spirits.
Our Stepping Hill mental health liaison team triggered the dance routine trend, and since then all our boroughs have been strutting their stuff. We’ve had teams from Rochdale (Prospect Place, Hollingworth ward, Stansfield Place), Tameside (Saxon suite), Bury (Hope and Horizon units), Oldham (Oak ward) and Stockport (Davenport ward and Heathfield house) posting their energetic TikTok takes.
Challenges have been made and bars have been raised!
In fact, they’ve become so popular with NHS frontline teams across the land that there’s definitely a dance-off in the making. When you are all under so much intense pressure you need some much needed light relief, so we and the whole nation are cheering you all on. We understand it helps morale and is a great way of maintaining team spirit.
This is nothing like we’ve experienced before, and the little things that help us through this are worth their weight in gold.
Whether it’s walking the dogs, cycling, gardening, cooking, skyping, singing or dancing.
Rachel Chin, one of our clinical psychologists, has been sharing some tremendous stuff from the power of smiling to managing our cravings, as well as running mindfulness and yoga sessions for patients and staff. Whilst others are using music as a therapeutic tool, whether it’s to help unwind, lift the mood or bring back happy memories for dementia patients.
Music has the power to connect and change, and has even been described as the ‘strongest form of magic’.
I’m listening to CDs that I haven’t listened to for ages (the latest is American indie rock band ‘The Walkmen’). I follow Jon Rouse, the former chief officer for Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership on Twitter and he’s asking people for their album suggestions, so I’m not alone in wanting to rediscover old favourites or try new bands.
And my son’s street in Coventry is going out once a week to sing three songs together from their doorsteps. He lives on his own, so it’s a pretty lonely time at the moment, but things like this really help. Community spirit when it matters most.
And therefore, on the theme of supporting each other, especially during some dark times, I have asked Sophie Ogden who is deputy ward manager on our Ramsbottom Ward to say a few words in this blog.
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"Managing our ward, while many of my colleagues are required to be in self-isolation, has its own unique challenges, but the support has been truly overwhelming.
On a personal level, it’s been the most challenging time in my career and I’ve got a new found sense of emotional resilience that I didn’t believe I had.
"Managing our ward, while many of my colleagues are required to be in self-isolation, has its own unique challenges, but the support has been truly overwhelming.
On a personal level, it’s been the most challenging time in my career and I’ve got a new found sense of emotional resilience that I didn’t believe I had.
We were devastated when a long standing patient of the ward sadly passed away recently. As you can imagine, this has been a truly upsetting time for our team. But the main thing that stood out to me during this awful time was the support from others, including the thoughtful staff on Hope and Horizon units and South ward, along with our modern matron. This enabled staff to take time to debrief, which is critical in allowing staff to process their feelings.
It’s at times like these that the on-going efforts of everyone in our trust are more valuable than ever to ensure that we all have the best chance at supporting our patients, colleagues and ourselves.
Understanding that this coronavirus crisis is an evolving situation and how it changes our day-to-day practice is undoubtedly difficult for everyone involved. That’s why effective communication has been critical in keeping staff well-informed to meet the demands.
I feel that the delivery of personal protective equipment training and daily briefings among staff has enabled our ward to manage this situation professionally, and I want to take the opportunity to thank senior management for cascading information and answering all my questions in such a timely manner.
Ensuring that staff morale is high has been key to supporting staff wellbeing. Receiving donations from different organisations, including flowers, Easter eggs, headbands, cupcakes and goodies from our board has given staff the well-deserved boost that they need.
We’re also planning to introduce our ‘wobble room’ on the ward. A place where all staff can take some time to de-stress and even have a little cry if they need. This room will have a box of goodies including tea, coffee, magazines, lip balm, moisturiser, face masks, chocolates and sweets. The walls will be covered with beautiful pictures created by children for the NHS. We also plan to have a box of inspiring quotes and statements from management that staff can read. We hope that this will give colleagues a safe place to reflect, relax and manage their emotions during this crisis.
It takes courage, endeavour and resilience to do our job and I commend all of us for going above and beyond, not only during this crisis, but throughout my time spent in nursing. Some of the techniques that have helped me to manage my own anxieties throughout this crisis include a healthy diet, exercise, keeping hydrated, sleep, limiting my time on social media and maintaining connections with family and friends via video call.
Knowing that the whole nation is behind us is truly overwhelming. Hearing the clap for carers every Thursday bring tears to my eyes.
I have never felt more proud of myself and my colleagues; this gives us the determination and bravery to keep fighting this awful virus day in day out.
So thank you to everyone involved - it really means a lot. We’re all in this together and together we will all pull through" - Sophie Ogden
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