I’ve been putting off writing this one again. I feel like there’s pressure (I do know it’s only in my head) to be upbeat and put on a brave face and ideally not disgrace critical care nurses and my profession as a whole. I’m gonna stick with the not disgracing…

I haven’t checked in for a while and I feel like I should. But I don’t know what to say. The worst is happening. Everything I feared is coming to pass. Right now my 12 bedded ITU is currently caring for 31 people. We have transferred around 10 others out…

I'm starting to feel like a harbinger of doom. Everytime I say 'I'm scared that...' it happens. The only thing that hasn't happened yet is people fainting in their PPE, thank goodness. But late presentation of very sick people, check. Relaxed too far and got a nice second wave, check…

I’d like to talk about Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) Orders. It’s a delicate subject and, believe it or not, I’ve not always been famed for my tact, so I’m a bit scared to approach this one. But I figure if it’s not the easiest topic for me to talk…

Just because it isn't illegal to meet your family at Christmas doesn't make it a good idea. Covid is really contagious. Much more so than flu. So let's assume if you are in prolonged close contact and one of you has it, it will spread. The question becomes could you…

The second peak has officially begun. In the space of a week the number of patients admitted to our Covid ITU more than doubled. At the time I write this we are into double figures and looking at spilling into our thirdCovid bay. We’re back in our converted emergency department…

Title kinda says it all really. We knew it was going to happen, the question was always not if but when, and more importantly, how badly? I’ll be honest, it looks bad. I’m struggling to interpret the numbers compared to Mar/Apr, what with the increase in testing. I’m…

We don’t have any Covid patients in ITU right now. But we’ve been seeing the impact of lockdown on people who have other health conditions. There have been a lot more out of hospital cardiac arrests. This means that your heart goes into a rhythm which doesn’t produce an effective…

It’s been quiet lately. (To all of my colleagues: I’ve done it. I’ve said the q-word, sorry in advance) This is both good and bad. It’s good because with fewer people in, life is easier at work and we’re getting a very much needed break. We are also catching up…