Non-clinical staff have been stepping out of their comfort zone during the coronavirus pandemic. | Photo: ULHT / Collage: The Lincolnite
Hundreds of non-clinical staff at Lincolnshire’s hospitals were re-deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic to support frontline staff at difficult moments over the past year.
NHS workers across Lincolnshire were given new roles at the height of the pandemic to support clinical staff during crucial moments, such as the vaccination rollout.
These are just five staff members who made the move to support clinical healthcare areas during the coronavirus outbreak, telling their story of just how much life has changed in the last year.
Chris Hebron, e-Learning Program Developer based at Lincoln County Hospital
Chris Hebron “jumped at the chance” to help with the vaccination programme. | Photo: ULHT
“I think, like most people, I could see this wasn’t going away anytime soon so just wanted to do my bit and help where I could. So when my manager asked if I was interested in working in the Lincoln vaccination hub I jumped at the chance.
“During my time in the hub I have done all the various admin roles from welcoming people in at reception to inputting data and making appointments for their second vaccinations, as well as making teas and coffees in the recovery area.
“My main role, though, was as shift coordinator, helping to make sure everything runs smoothly and that everyone knows what they are doing and when, this includes ensuring we have enough vaccinations for the people coming through the doors and everything in between.
“I have loved every moment working in the hub even at the most challenging of times.
“Nicky Thompson the hub manager is excellent and a total professional and it’s been fun working alongside her.
“It’s shown me that no matter what you throw at the NHS, the staff will rise to the challenge and work together to beat it.
“It just makes me very proud and proves we can achieve more if we just work together.
“I’ve learnt not to take anything for granted. Be kind – look out for people, you don’t know what they are going through and that together we are stronger.
“I’d like to say a great big ‘thank you’ to all the amazing staff that have worked in the hub over the last few months. It’s been hard work but it’s been fun and most of all it’s been rewarding. I will miss it and the people.”
Lynda Stockwell, Clinical and Operational lead, based at Princess Royal Sports Arena in Boston
Lynda now leads a team of over 200 people at the large vaccination centre in Boston. | Photo: ULHT
“A year ago, I worked for Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT). This is the organisation who care for individuals living with mental ill health and learning disabilities in our region, who employ around 2500 individuals.
“My job title was Head of Physical Healthcare and Infection Prevention and Control. My day-to-day role was leading a fantastic cohort of 10 staff who looked after the physical health of patients in LPFT’s care.
“The infection prevention and control (IPC) part of my work wasn’t massive as I had an amazing IPC Specialist Nurse in my team …. but things have changed so very much…
“I am now the Clinical and Operational Lead for the mass vaccination centre at the Princess Royal Sports Arena (PRSA) in Boston.
“At the PRSA, we give the COVID-19 vaccination to our local population. I was excited, proud and a little apprehensive taking on this job.
“I now lead a team of over 200 staff, and we vaccinate thousands of people every week. It’s a privilege to be playing a significant part in keeping the community safe and helping us all get to our new normal.”
Sally Robinson, Head of Contracting and Performance based at Lincoln County Hospital
Sally Robinson said her decision to help out on a COVID-19 ward was “tough” but “touching”. | Photo: ULHT
“When I was asked if I could help out it was an automatic response to say yes – anything to make even the slightest bit of positive difference and do my bit.
“I went onto a COVID ward as a ward assistant and worked between the housekeeping and healthcare support worker teams. My favourite part without doubt was spending time with the patients.
“I sat and talked with them, picked up newspapers and treats from the shop for them, helped to get messages to and from loved ones, held phones while they talked with family and friends, held their hands and just listened. It was by far my favourite part – the most emotionally challenging, but my favourite.
“We had a number of very poorly patients on the ward – being a COVID positive ward it was tough. One particular patient was extremely poorly and one day while I was cleaning around his bed area he put his hand out and gestured for me to take it.
“I held his hand and he smiled. He was unable to speak, so we just stayed a while, and I chatted away about my day, the weather and a card he had got on his bedside table from family. It was such a touching and powerful moment – a simple gesture can mean so much.
“I am so much more appreciative now of the pressures our clinical and frontline colleagues are under. You hear about it in meetings, see the stats, watch the news, see the paper headlines, but until you are actually there, on that ward, watching and seeing what they are up against you can’t fully comprehend it.
“I was so changed by my time working on the wards and over the past year. I am now training to become a healthcare support worker and will be a fully-fledged member of our bank staff by the summer.”
Sarah Otter-Thompson, Senior Organisational Development Practitioner, based at Lincoln County Hospital
Sarah Otter-Thompson said the experience reminded her why she works in health care. | Photo: ULHT
“There was a request from the organisation that some areas needed help for non- clinical tasks on the ward. I offered because I thought it was a great chance to gain some new experience, support my hospital colleagues and hopefully help towards a better patient experience.
“I supported the clerk on Ward 6A at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston. I helped to prep notes for doctors rounds, organised patient notes and property and was a general runner for the ward.
“Although we all always work with the patient at the centre of everything we do, this time just reminded me why we all do what we do at ULHT. I got a real experience of the pressures on the ward staff, the tasks to complete and the phone constantly ringing non-stop, from loved ones who were worried about their family member.
“Susan, the ward clerk, was amazing! She was so welcoming from the minute I arrived and when showing me the ropes – nothing felt like a daft question. She was supportive and was incredible with the patients and their family members – kind, compassionate and respectful at all times.
“The whole ward was great and made me feel like one of the team and I thank them for that.
“I will think about things differently when considering how my work impacts all our staff in the future. I will try to find different, more innovative ways to achieve the best we can and I am absolutely reminded that what we all do together has an impact on the patient.
“I think we’ve learnt we all need each other more than we realise, both in terms of NHS colleagues doing what’s needed and pulling together to achieve the best we can but also how much we need those colleagues for support, our friends and our families at home to just have a chat, drink, walk or a hug.
“It has also been a huge reminder to be kind, helpful and grateful every day.”
Saumya Hebbar, Organisational Development Lead, based at Lincoln County Hospital
Saumya Hebbar focused on positivity when she took on her new role. | Photo: ULHT
“We heard there were staffing issues on the wards and that our clinical colleagues had put a call out asking for help, and it just felt like the right thing to do.
“It was a difficult decision, as I have young kids and my husband is also clinical so I did hesitate – but then I thought, we are all in this together, we are one team – so I stepped up and offered my help on Lancaster Ward at Lincoln hospital.
“I did whatever was asked of me and the team were lovely, very welcoming and very conscious that I had no clinical training or background. Within a few hours of observing the team and what they did, I assigned responsibilities to myself. I helped with filing notes, wiping down equipment, helping the housekeepers with serving tea, coffee and meals and answering the telephone.
“I also chatted with patients, ran errands to pharmacy or health records and picked up the iPads used for patients to call home. I averaged 18,000 steps on a six-hour shift so hats off to my clinical colleagues who do this on a daily basis.
“Having done that role, I would recommend for anyone non-clinical do an insight day every six months. The days I spent on the ward have made me question so many assumptions I didn’t realise I had made with regards to my own team, the work we do and the way we deliver it.
“One of our bank housekeepers called Joshua took me under his wing and gave me instructions – told me what’s what and how I could help. He made me feel useful and a part of the team and that was so, so important and helped massively in building my confidence.
“I’ve learnt that life can change in an instant so we need to focus on each day as it comes and take ownership for what we can control. We need to be positive, focus on positive things and people around you and most importantly take care of our own wellbeing.”
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Local independents have suffered greatly as a result of the coronavirus lockdown, but the time has finally come for the doors to be reopened, and shop owners are delighted to be back.
After chaos with queues in the city centre, The Lincolnite went uphill in Lincoln to talk to some local independents on Steep Hill and the Bailgate to see how the reopening has gone.
Laura Scaife had only opened Fairy Godmother’s Beauty Room for a month before we went into national lockdown. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Perhaps the most relieved person in Lincoln was Laura Scaife, owner of Fairy Godmother’s Beauty Room on Steep Hill, which only opened last February, right before the pandemic hit Britain.
Laura wasn’t entitled to any furlough pay due to only starting the business very recently, so was eager to get started at work again.
She said: “It’s been a testing year for us, it was rather lonely in lockdown and obviously there’s only so much you can do on social media in an industry like mine.
“My clients have been absolutely amazing and they’ve all been coming back after each lockdown. Hopefully the future is promising for us after a difficult start.”
Sasha Drennan has owned Lindum Books since it opened seven years ago. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
At Lindum Books on the Bailgate, owner of seven years Sasha Drennan said that despite her happiness at reopening, she has faced difficulties when it comes to enforcing COVID-19 restrictions.
“We only opened on Tuesday and already I’ve had to remind people about wearing masks properly, social distancing and using hand sanitiser.
“Some were looking at the sanitiser like they’d never seen it before! I just hope people realise we are still in the midst of a pandemic, otherwise we could be in danger of going back to how we were.
“Despite this, I am obviously very happy to be back inside the shop and it’s great seeing people walking on the Bailgate again.”
Caroline Bundy has worked at Linkage for around six months. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
One shop that needed the reopening more than most was Linkage on the Bailgate, a Lincolnshire based charity offering support for people with learning difficulties.
Caroline Bundy, who works at the Linkage store, said that the charity had been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, due to stores being a great way to raise money.
After what was described as a “steady first day”, Caroline told The Lincolnite: “We’re excited to be back, hopefully the good weather will encourage people to get out shopping on the Bailgate and support local independents.”
Craig Burrows is the manager of Steep Hill Wines, offering a range of alcoholic drinks. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Steep Hill Wines have had to adapt, like so many others, due to lockdown closing the store, and their move online has proven to be a big hit.
Manager Craig Burrows has said that face-to-face contact is so important to the success of the store, and human interaction is the thing he has missed most.
“We are here to help people on the start of their wine journey, who might need a bit of direction as to what to try and what they may like.
“There’s no substitute for talking with people face-to-face, and that’s what we can now look to offer to all our customers.”
Craig also spoke about the community spirit of local independents, as everyone would lend a hand to one another during the difficult stages of lockdown.
He said: “Businesses would offer their services to one another during lockdown to help us all get through it, the importance of local independents cannot be understated.
“We must protect these local shops and not let them be replaced by big chains, it is part of what makes uphill Lincoln, particularly the Bailgate and Steep Hill, so unique and special.”
Elsewhere on Steep Hill, Imperial Teas of Lincoln celebrated reopening with a special anniversary, marking 30 years as a local business in the city.
Lincoln BIG will launch two COVID-secure trails next week designed to provide fun for couples and the whole family as they return to the city’s High Street.
Dr Cupid’s Couples Trail and The Secret Carnival Family Trail will be available to play from Monday, April 19.
The trails can both be accessed on a smartphone and include scanning QR codes at various locations and taking fun selfies. They have been created to help support the reopening of Lincoln High Street.
Dr Cupid’s Couples Trail
Couples in Lincoln are invited to take part in this romantic, funny and free event that stops at 10 different locations in the city.
How to play: Start the trail here and visit each of the questions and see the funny cartoons.
Scan the QR codes with a smartphone and see the questions and take a ‘scene selfie’.
After visiting all the locations, tally up the results and decide your partner’s fate.
By completing the trail, players will be entered into a national draw for the chance to win £5,000 to spend on your loved one, or yourself.
Secret Carnival
Lincoln BIG teamed up with QR code trail experts High Street Safari to create a free, interactive story-trail, which is designed to encourage children to walk, get engaged and have fun.
Play Secret Carnival, which takes around 45 minutes to complete and is positioned around Lincoln city centre.
There are 10 wily carnival characters, including Harlequin the cheeky jester.
Families will need to utilise the contactless QR codes and there will be no need to go inside venues, although some of the participating businesses are offering extra incentives to come in while you visit.
Each character’s unique QR code will teach players about their names and what their role is in the carnival.
Younger children will enjoy spotting the colourful characters in shop windows.
Families will win a personalised, digital ‘selfie storybook’ at the end, which will include their selfies and document the day they went on a tour of the Secret Carnival.
Lee Roberts, Operations Manager for Lincoln BIG, said: “We ran two trails like these in 2020 and have just been blown away at the response considering the difficult climate on the high street.
“If something fun like this can help make families feel confident about going back out onto the high street in a safe way and supporting local businesses, then we’ve done our jobs.”
Primark was again the go-to place on Lincoln High Street on Tuesday, as the non-essential shopping frenzy continued in the city.
Hundreds flocked to Lincoln High Street on Monday in eager anticipation of non-essential shops reopening, and the trend appears to have continued on Tuesday.
The queue at the Lincoln branch of the discount fashion chain filled the barriers outside the store, and spilled out onto the High Street up to the Stonebow.
It is then broke up again by Primark officials in hi-vis vests into a separate queue on Saltergate, where even more people were stood in line.
The manic queuing comes just a day after hundreds looped around the Debenhams store to queue for the shop’s final closing down sale after it was bought out by online retailer Boohoo, but Tuesday was much quieter there
The latest coronavirus guidelines on the roadmap out of lockdown mean that as of April 12, non-essential retailers have been able to open their doors once again.
As well as this, hairdressers, nail salons, public buildings and outdoor attractions could reopen, and weddings will be allowed up to 15 people in attendance.
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