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THE FRONTLINE - A BIG THANK YOU!
Covid-19 has turned the world upside down and communities
all over the world have had to start adapting to a different
way of living for a while, in order to combat this deadly virus. care for patients. As a Trust we also have a range of health and
wellbeing support available for our staff so we can ensure they
remain safe and well to care for our patients.
Schools closed, parents started home schooling, businesses
closed their offices and staff were furloughed while others
moved to working from home as the lockdown began. We
practice social distancing, people only leave their homes to buy
food, obtain medication and for an hour’s daily exercise. We
queue 2 metres apart outside of the supermarkets following a
spate of panic buying that saw many people faced with empty
shelves unable to purchase essentials. "We are very grateful to the community who have offered a
huge amount of support at this time. There have been so many
positive messages on social media and expressions of thanks.
This support has really meant a lot to staff and has demonstrated
how much they are valued by the local community."
‘We are living tomorrow’s history lesson’ someone said, and
probably not since the Second World War have been seen such
changes to our society at one time.
For those of us living through it, what will we have learned from
this period, and what will we take forward into the future?
Fighting on the Frontline
More than a hundred patients in Wirral have recovered from
COVID-19 and have been discharged from hospital and others,
including staff from the hospital, have sadly died during this
crisis.
Wirral University Teaching hospital has launched a Family
Support Team to help patients and their families stay in contact
with each other or to provide emotional support to family
members. We also provide an aftercare service following a
bereavement should it be required .
The team is able to share messages to and from patients and
their loved ones. They can arrange contact by email which
includes printing off keepsakes such as children’s drawings,
photographs for patients and telephone contact through our
helplines. If possible, they can also record video messages to
share with a patient from families and vice versa.
Janelle Holmes, Chief Executive of Wirral University Teaching
Hospital, said: "Our dedicated staff are working extremely
hard to ensure they are providing high quality, compassionate
Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service said: "Merseyside Fire &
Rescue Service has maintained an effective emergency response
throughout the pandemic and we are pleased to have been
able to support communities across Merseyside through our
work with partners in the Merseyside Local Resilience Forum.
Operational and support staff have also volunteered to take on
extra duties including delivering prescriptions for vulnerable
people and supporting charities delivering food parcels to those
in need. We will always be there for the people of Merseyside."
Chief Inspector Paul Holden from the Local Policing Team in
Wirral said: "All emergency services are undoubtedly facing
challenges during the Covid-19 outbreak. We are adapting to
a new ‘normal’ whilst trying our best to keep communities and
ourselves safe. We have, and are still facing huge pressures as a
force but I am confident that we will come out the other side
stronger and more resilient. Officers and staff have gone above
and beyond to engage with the public safely, continue to pursue
offenders and support and enforce government guidance where
necessary. It is an undoubtedly unsettling time for all but
despite what is currently going on in the world, regular policing
will not come to a stand-still. We remain just as dedicated as
ever and will continue to deploy to areas of concern, act upon
community intelligence and bring offenders to justice."
Communities Pulling Together
That support seems to be coming from a myriad of places as
communities in lockdown pull together. People are diversifying
their hobbies or their businesses to make masks and sew scrubs
for the medical community. Others are offering places for
people to stay so they can continue to work in key roles while
their family members isolate.
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