— Matthew Dolling is an intensive care consultant at Lincoln County Hospital. This column is part of a series marking a year since the start of the COVID pandemic.
I think the intensive care unit (ICU) community became concerned, as did the rest of us watching the first news items, as the COVID outbreak evolved in Wuhan – a concern that deepened as it spread into Europe.
It rapidly became apparent we would not escape it, so by the time we took our first COVID patient into ICU, we as a department had spent a lot of time preparing and were as ready as we could be.
Nurses and clinicians of all grades threw themselves into this effort and a program of education evolved to include other departments outside of the critical care as well.
A year has passed and it is a blur. Weekdays and weekends were often indistinguishable and months passed unmarked, with the experience on one day being the same as another.
Before COVID the use of facemasks and the level of personal protective equipment (PPE) we have now become used to was a rare occurrence – now it sadly seems the norm.
The nurses have been the hardest hit by this, spending the longest hours by the bedside in PPE, doing both a physically and mentally demanding job – looking after some of the sickest patients imaginable.
Their morale is now low and they are exhausted, and some have been scarred by the experience.
There have been many hard times in this pandemic but something that I think many staff have found difficult to deal with is the death of COVID patients on ICU.
This has often happened without their families being able to be present. As an ICU consultant giving such bad news by phone is so difficult.
The nurses have at times tried to use phones and iPads to link families with patients in their last moments, in an attempt to give them the opportunity to say their last goodbyes – but this is a poor substitute to physical contact.
It is not the same as holding someone’s hand so it was the bedside nurse who did that. They would be the families’ surrogate so the patient did not die alone.
I do not feel I have had enough time yet to know entirely what I have learnt from all this experience, but I do know that ICU nurses are completely undervalued. They lack the appreciation and recognition they deserve.
Some of my colleagues such as operating department practitioners have also proved to have an incomprehensible but wonderful ability to rapidly integrate themselves into a team and help in the care of very sick patients.
A moment that particularly stands out for me was when I collected a critically-ill COVID patient from a Birmingham hospital as part of a regional care transfer team.
The hospital’s resources had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients so myself and the nurse I was working with transferred that patient to Lincoln’s ICU, where at the time there were more resources to cope.
This practice has been repeated over and over again all across the country and has allowed the NHS to survive the worst that the disease could throw at it.
For me it demonstrated that the NHS is truly a national health service, not a local one.
A service that can utilise its expertise to provide the best opportunities for everyone wherever they are in the country. A service that when it’s at its best can make the hardest things seem easy.
I have also learnt that whilst my colleagues and I have struggled through the last year, there are still some who would rather believe in conspiracy theories, do not believe in COVID or who would wilfully put others at risk.
As I am still very close to the rock face I am not well placed to comprehend their views nor may I ever.
I will continue, however, to hope that people will behave responsibly, that the vaccine rollout continues at pace and that it remains effective, such that this is the beginning of a sustained return to normality, even if it isn’t a normality we experienced previously.
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We are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a collision caused serious injuries to a 23-year-old man.
Just before 3.30pm yesterday (2 July), we received reports of a collision on Barholm Road in Tallington. It involved a grey BMW 335D estate, a blue BMW 116D and an orange KTM motorcycle.
The motorcycle rider, a 23-year-old man, sustained serious injuries during the collision and was taken to hospital.
If you witnessed the incident and are yet to get in touch with us, please do so. If you have any other information or dashcam footage available that may have captured the road along the A1175 at the time of the collision, get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 282 of 2 July.
By emailing [email protected] quoting incident 282 of 2 July in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
The 2022 Destination Lincolnshire Tourism Excellence Awards are open for applications, and Destination Lincolnshire giving you the rare chance to co-create your application with Nell Barrington, a tourism awards veteran, who has helped hundreds of businesses write winning applications over the last 15 years – including national VisitEngland winners.
The Tourism Awards Masterclass is taking place on Tuesday 12 July at 11am for one-hour online. Laura Freer, Head of Marketing at Destination Lincolnshire said: “This is a golden opportunity, after years of hard work and heartache, to get your business and team recognised and rewarded.
“A well written application is key to achieving a coveted place on this year’s shortlist, and I’d encourage all tourism and visitor economy businesses who are thinking of entering – whether they are seasoned at writing award applications or not – to join us for this exclusive masterclass.
“Nell Barrington has worked with us and VisitEngland on the founding application processes of these awards, and she is perfectly placed to assist in co-creating applications that you can be proud of. This is a great opportunity for business development too – whether you are shortlisted for an award or not – discovering how to effectively apply for awards and talk up your business adds another string to your bow.
“Booking is essential and places are limited to just 35 – so be quick! This year we’ve made our masterclass available to partners and also to those who we are yet to work with for free. Call it an added bonus, after two years away from the awards circuit.
The awards masterclass is focussed on the application process, and it will spell out what the judges are looking for. You’ll learn how to make your application stand out from the local competition, helping your chances of going through to the national VisitEngland Awards in 2023.”
There are fifteen categories open for nominations from visitors attraction, accommodation providers, hospitality businesses and many more.
The deadline for nominations is July 29, with online judging starting on July 30 and mystery shopping from August 13. Finalists will be announced on Monday, August 15.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Engine Shed on October 21, and will be hosted by Lincs FM presenter, John Marshall.
The event is organised by Stonebow Media, publishers of The Lincolnite, to celebrate the best businesses in Greater Lincolnshire, alongside headline sponsors Lincoln College and Destination Lincolnshire.
We would also like to thank our other sponsors Visit Lincolnshire, Heart of Lincs, Duncan and Toplis and LNER, insight6 and EV Camel.
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