Covid - 19 and a Nurse in Primary Care *update 2*

Good evening! I was hoping to do some daily updates but I don't think I can keep up with doing that if I'm truthful, it's tiring! Tuesdays are my early start (7am) so I am shattered by the time I get home and then take my youngest to a dance class so by the time both of my kids are in bed there is not much left of  the day OR my energy to sit and write anything of worth. Today is my day off so I have some time to do a brief update you with how things are in GP land. 

You can read my first update by clicking here. Yesterday still felt all a bit strange. Starting at 7am on a Tuesday usually feels alot calmer and quieter but it is even more so when you know you are seeing minimal patients. As I mentioned in the previous post the patients we are continuing to see are baby immunisations, cervical screening that are on annual recalls (i.e have had treatment through colposcopy, abnormal results or HPV positive), urgent woundcare/bloods and injections that can't be delayed. It is down to clinicians judgement at this point, the same applying to the Dr's who are telephone triaging all of their appointments. I had two patients booked in between the hours of 7am and 09:30 and a couple of phone calls to make, the rest of my time I was replying to tasks, admin bits and bobs, stocking up and doing some drugs checks. I then had a baby immunisation clinic from 09:30 for a couple of hours so it was nice to see a few faces and chat to the Mums that came in, all be it through a mask. It all felt a bit surreal.

I've found it to keep up a cheerful persona if I'm honest, it's been quite draining ensuring that protocol is being followed while keeping up a rapport with patients at the same time reassuring them. At the moment there are things we can be doing to busy ourselves but what happens when these are all done I wonder? Every day things are changing, we get updates and I do feel that we are being fairly well looked after in our organistion but I feel very much supported in the team I work within, we've all got each others backs. I wonder how long this will go on for, of course no one can answer this at present. We have to take it day by day. I worry if I am asked to go elsewhere, although I am NHS I am employed through the GP surgery so a totally different contract. I haven't even really thought about if any of us need to self isolate at home. The update tonight from Boris advising school closure's was no surprise but that 'key workers' such as myself will benefit from being able to send my children to school. This both terrifies me and relieves me in equal measures, however if it isn't the kids own school I will be relucant to send them somewhere totally unfamiliar, I await further information!

Tomorrow I have a telephone clinic booked in the morning and it will keep me busy till lunch time which is great. I will fill my afternoon with some admin and probably cleaning and tidying and I expect cancelling clinics for next week. Watch this space for my next update. Stay safe and keep well out there.