Dr Nikki Lee ( OS 2001 ) graduated from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry with Distinction in Clinical Sciences in 2010 . She works in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Guy ’ s and St Thomas ’, London .
The Covid-19 crisis was no surprise ; I am from Hong Kong and I felt increasingly anxious and angry as the lessons learned there were not being adopted in the UK . Many of us feel there was a lack of preparation , and even in my hospital we were scrabbling for PPE and making protocol changes under great pressure . All elective services were cancelled including , for a short while , cancer surgery . Clinics rapidly became as remote as possible ; unprecedented changes were made to the way we offer antenatal care .
The plus side is that many feel we are working far more efficiently . The lockdown accelerated our ability to offer telemedicine and forced healthcare providers to adapt rapidly . It was a much-needed review of the way we normally do things . We skinned it down to emergency services ; our juniors were redeployed to cover emergency medicine , ITU and general medical services . I missed normality and I despair at the loss of lives across the globe . I think we will have a completely different outlook on what counts as a necessary going forward both at work and at home .
Nikki performing a Caesarean section .
Thankfully , the Nightingale hasn ’ t been needed ; the nightmare of endless ventilators whirring was not made reality . The incredible acts of kindness that have been demonstrated are stories I can share with my children . Crisis brings out the best and worst in us , and I enjoyed less pollution and a traffic-free cycle to work . I woke each morning with my windows wide open , struck by a strange feeling of joy and sadness as I realised I could hear birdsong rather than the normal drone of aircraft approaching Heathrow . I feel incredibly lucky to work on the frontline but feel torn between wanting to protect my family and a desire to do my job .
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