It’s a tough gig right now- for everyone, there is no doubt about that. Unexpected, unprecedented and unwelcome, Covid-19 silently crept in, invaded our lives, our health and brought our economy to its knees. It has shaken our world to its core and has caused havoc in its wake. It has stolen people we care for, and those we care about and pushed our health services to the absolute limits of their capabilities.
As a frontline North London NHS GP and one of the Covid-19 Leads for a practice of approximately 10, 000 patients, I can honestly say the last 2 weeks have been a mammoth rollercoaster ride both professionally and personally. Many healthcare professionals will recognise the unrelenting challenges that we have all been experiencing since Covid-19 arrived, uninvited into our precious healthcare space. Long days fuelled by the minute-to-minute delivery of emergency care, coupled with contingency planning, implementation of safety measures, scavenging around for PPE, adapting to rapidly changing-protocols and embedding digital innovations at a rate that has been of lightning speeds. We have worked in a way that resembles very little of the medicine we have all practised over the years with our new objectives now focused on reaching as many patients as possible through telephone and video consulting, keeping our healthcare teams safe whilst ensuring patients are cared for as best as possible and supporting our local community, at large, in fighting this covid-19 war.
Things are changing minute to minute, and as we approach the imminent Covid-19 peak, which sees our NHS staff and services pushed to their limits, being responsive as a healthcare provider is critical. What is also crucial at this time is the empowerment of every citizen in this country in navigating certain aspects of their own care at a time when GPs who would normally be doing this for them, but are currently unable to do so.
Over the last few weeks, many of my patients have asked me questions about Covid-19 and self-caring during this time and I thought it may be useful to create a Covid Resource Centre (link below) to help those looking to find reliable information and answers to their questions..
Although the road we are on is currently on an incline and we have a few weeks of uncertainty ahead, we are continuing to focus on delivering the best healthcare that the world has to offer through our amazing NHS and with the support of every member of the public who is following the guidance set out, we are confident and hopeful that we will overcome this challenge.
In the meantime, please stay safe, stay sanitised and STAY AT HOME.
Please click the link below to access the Covid Resource Centre:
This blog is dedicated to all my amazing NHS colleagues who have tirelessly put their lives at risk in the fight against Covid-19, and to all the public who are diligently following the guidance to , PROTECT THE NHS, SAVE LIVES and STAY AT HOME.
Dr Rasha Gadelrab
NHS GP & Chief Medical Relations Officer