My redeployment

Carol Plunkett - Redeployment blog

“I offered to help out wards who had experienced staff shortages, in response to the challenges of COVID-19. My role was to help with mealtimes, plump pillows, get patients their drinks, transport equipment, and chat to patients.

The best part of this was being in charge of Google Duo calls to patient homes. Watching the faces of patients breaking into huge smiles or happy tears at seeing their loved ones on screen was so precious. Many patients I encountered were not able to verbally communicate due to having had a stroke, and so it was lovely to hear snippets from family members filling them in on the goings on at home, sharing gossip, giving words of comfort and even singing. I kept hearing ‘you are my sunshine, my only sunshine….’ in my dreams last night.

The experience also gave me an opportunity to see all the equipment that the NCH&C Charity has funded to support patient environments: tablet devices;  dementia friendly clocks; wipeable jigsaws; and specialist equipment to help measure swallow reflexes as part of rehabilitation.

I went home with a red face, dry hands, sore feet but a full heart!”