“I work as a doctor in the Emergency Department (A&E) of the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.  We are one of the COVID-19 ‘hubs’ so have been managing a lot of suspected and confirmed cases.  I’m lucky to be a member of a superb team. 
 
Although the workload has been even heavier than usual and it is hot and cumbersome to work whilst wearing PPE, I haven’t found the work itself difficult and I haven’t allowed myself to dwell on the fact that I could catch COVID-19 from any of the patients that I see.
 
What I have found difficult, however, is seeing the fear on my patients’ faces as they come to terms with the possibility of dying without being able to say goodbye to their family and friends.  We’ve been doing our best to comfort them and keep their spirits up but we know that they are as aware as we are of the high mortality rate in COVID-19 patients who are sick enough to need admission to hospital.
 
I have also found it difficult when I see people in the community not adhering to the social distancing rules.  I sometimes feel like winding down my car window and shouting “I’m a doctor and if you could see the faces of the dying patients in my hospital then you wouldn’t be standing as close to that person!” at people.
 
We have lost several much-loved members of staff to the virus and it has been challenging for our department to deal with the grief of losing dear friends whilst continuing to put its best foot forward in the fight against this deadly disease.
 
I am very fortunate to work in such a well-run hospital as the John Radcliffe.  From the very beginning of the pandemic our bosses have managed to keep on top of the situation, both from a patient and staff point of view.  As well as ensuring adequate PPE and staffing levels, and procuring COVID testing for us all, it has been very good at setting up measures to help safeguard our mental wellbeing.
 
On behalf of healthcare workers nationwide, I would like to thank all the charities and members of the public who have sent us messages of goodwill, food, new scrubs and even headbands to help make our face masks less uncomfortable! It has been a great comfort to us to know that the whole country is behind us!”