W PETS CORNER
L
AMAZING STAFF AND OTHER RAMBLINGS...
by Dugie Gemmill, Parkside Veterinary Practice
As we enter the middle third of May, Parkside Vets finds itself in the
seventh week of our ‘war footing’. As with all veterinary practices we
have been forced to find a different way of providing the quality of
healthcare that our clients expect and deserve from a modern and
progressive practice, whilst following the strict social distancing
and working practice guidelines issued by the British Veterinary
Association and endorsed by the Royal College of Veterinary
Surgeons.
It has not been an easy road for anyone in the UK. It has been devastating
to our profession. Some practices may have closed their doors
completely, some have closed branch surgeries; but across the country
vets are carrying on with professionalism, integrity and compassion -
carrying out telephone and video consultations, and examining and
treating animals where required. At Parkside we have temporarily
closed our Wallasey Village branch in order to concentrate our most
precious resource (our staff) at the main New Ferry-based hospital. Here
we have access to our laboratory, radiography suite, ultrasound and
surgical facilities. However, who knew that the most important aspect
of the fabric of the hospital would become the practice’s car park? To
maintain social distancing and biosecurity the public cannot enter the
building. Clients who must visit the practice have a safe place to wait and
thanks to the wonderful April weather we were able to discuss cases and
treatments, safely outside in the sunshine. I believe I have developed a
tan worthy of a beach holiday from some far and distant memory!
It is impossible to have any thoughts which are not coloured by the
emotional toll that the COVID19 crisis is having on us all. At the practice
we are working in two small teams consisting of a vet, a receptionist
and a registered veterinary nurse (RVN). We named ourselves Team
South Africa and Team Scotland – guess the vets’ nationalities! At the
time it seemed more fun than Team A and B. We are covering essential,
urgent and emergency cases for a substantial part of the Wirral, now
seven days a week. Each team works three days on and three days off.
It is quite an exhausting experience. Yet despite the energy sapping
parade of emergency surgeries, diabetic Labradors, blocked bladders,
accidental ingestions of human medications, Easter-related chocolate
30 wirrallife.com
poisonings, the experience has strangely, thus far been both exhilarating
and rewarding. Our community of clients are exceptionally kind and
patient with us. The words of support and gratitude, that we are still
there to provide healthcare for pets, at times have been overwhelming
and always uplifting. We may not have been clapped en masse, but we
have eaten an unhealthy quantity of chocolate and biscuits from our
patients Mums and Dads!
Working within a micro-team is a new experience and it has given
me a new perspective on the staff at Parkside. I am constantly
amazed at how a receptionist can juggle two or three telephone lines,
seamlessly switching from one to the next, without taking pause for
breath; balancing the needs of the pet owner for reassurance, with a
compassionate interrogation as to what their concerns may be - all the
while juggling arriving clients, detailing protocols, taking payments, and
taking her turn in the coffee making rota.
The work that I do would be near impossible without the support and
skill of our veterinary nurses. May 2020 in fact, is Veterinary Nurse
Awareness Month. Vet nurses are certainly worth celebrating and in
these stressful times, it is the nurses that are both the foundation of the
veterinary work we are doing, and the glue holding it all together. Our
RVN’s are highly trained professionals who freely dispense comfort, care
and compassion to their patients and owners – diagnostic laboratory
tests, radiography, monitoring anaesthesia, administering prescribed
medications, dental scaling and polishing are just a few of the skills they
possess. Not to mention coffee making and putting up with vets – the
latter, requiring amazing patience, being their greatest skill.
There are two hashtags that now regularly appear on my social media
feeds, #teamvet and #whatVNSdo I would like to clap for the vets,
vet nurses and receptionists who are still working, and for those who
sadly are unable to at the moment. I would also clap loudly for the pet-
owning and wider community of the Wirral. #weshallovercome #wirral
#wallasey #lovenewferry