Wigan intensive care nurse pens poem about looking after Covid-19 patients

Hospital workloads have increased significantly as Wigan has entered a second wave of the novel coronavirus, with NHS England data showing 29 deaths of patients with Covid-19 in the borough’s hospitals between October 2 and October 16.

That followed a period of three months in which Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh (WWL) NHS Foundation Trust did not record a single death with the coronavirus.

Hannah said her main inspiration for putting her thoughts down in verse was to try to boost morale among NHS staff, who she says are struggling to cope with the emotional and physical toll their work is taking.

However, she also urged the public to continue taking the threat of Covid-19 seriously.

Hannah, 28, said: “It’s a way of processing what I have seen on my shifts.

“The rise we’ve seen has been very difficult. We are seeing an increase in patients being admitted and it seems like we are heading back to where we were originally.

“It’s hard to switch off. I do my shift and come home but then I see people not thinking it’s real or have people approaching me to tell me it’s the same as flu.

“Staff are struggling, we’re a bit burnt out at the moment. I’ve had a lot of nurses across the country messaging me asking to share the poem. I think it reflects how a lot of staff are feeling at the moment.

“Patients are sick, they are dying, family members can only come in and visit when somebody’s at the end of life. We’re expecting an increase in the nurse-to-patient ratio when we’re used to nursing one-to-one.

“It completely goes against the grain of how we’re trained to nurse and care for our patients or how we would normally look after their families.

“These are unprecedented times and we are just having to do what we can.

“I just hope this poem can help other staff and resonate with them. At least if they have read it they will know there are other people feeling like this.”

Hannah’s poem invites though sceptical about Covid-19 to join her and her colleagues on an intensive care ward, saying they will be “scarred for life” from the sights there.

After describing the strain of looking after patients, supporting families and grieving for those whose lives sadly end in hospital, Hannah’s poem brings a sobering message that the end of the battle against the coronavirus is far from over.

She shares her frustration at people seeming “oblivious” to what is happening in hospitals, her fears that rules are not being adhered to, and says “the virus is no longer feared”.

She also says NHS staff are “running on empty” but will carry on delivering care.

As debate rages around how the country should tackle rising rates, Hannah stresses she does not blame those who are worried about the impact of further lockdowns.

She said: “I can totally understand where people are coming from. They are worried about family members, about their jobs, about income and paying their mortgages.

“I don’t want to take anything away from that, but these are just more aspects of this pandemic.

“There has been a lot of confusion about the coronavirus and everyone has their own priorities, but it is difficult finishing a shift, having seen what we’ve seen, and then having to explain to people that this is not the same as flu.

“If it was, we wouldn’t be reacting in the way we are."

To read the full poem, visit https://www.facebook.com/Hannah.Knight.77