Join us for our very popular interactive replenishing event with inspirational speakers, good food, conviviality, in the beautiful, peaceful setting of the Royal Foundation of St Katharine, London. An opportunity to reflect, to dance (!), to share ideas and your ‘sparkling moments’, to converse, to open your minds to new perspectives, and to engage with practical examples of how one can foster flourishing in healthcare by doing things differently and more humanely.
Pay what you can – minimum donation £1.
Open to all those working (or interested in) healthcare and social care.
Places are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment!
Paquita de Zulueta (chair, HVHF) offered reflections to a mixed audience (over 100) on sharing decisions in the the context of suffering and dying at the end of life in conversation with Caesar Atuire, philosopher and global health ethicist, and Gillian Hayes, palliative care nurse, chaired by Dr Liliana Bertini of the Bios Centre.
This was very well received and generated a great deal of discussion.
This blog is from Tori Cooper, a member of the HVHF core team and Director of Nursing · University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. She reminds us how the Pandemic affected us all, and how we are still feeling its effects. We must not forget those dark days and pretend that nothing happened, but honour those who sacrificed so much for others.
Today, Sunday 9th March is COVID-19 Day of Reflection, an opportunity to remember those who lost their lives, the acts of kindness from our local communities and my colleagues.
For me this day is personal. I am easily transported back to March 2020, to my team, the patients, my friends and my family, the commute and the fear.
It was tense and uncertain with services at work disrupted and staff displaced, families worried and a lot of fear amongst colleagues but also a lot of courage. I was working in a busy London ED within a multi-cultural population and staff group. A team I will always be grateful for.
The conversations I had with my family are etched into me. I sorted out my personal paperwork, I had an honest conversation with my husband about the fear of the unknown, I offered to move out to protect him and my daughter, this was met with a hard ‘no’. I remained brave with my daughter as she cried and couldn’t sleep in case mummy died at work. Holding that fear I also had for myself or worse for them. I felt a risk to everyone, my family, friends and community.
But what of my team? I walked with them every day. We were brave together, fearful together and we looked after each other, holistically. We created spaces for support to share our fears and reflections and plans for ‘when this is over’. We focussed on what it was to be human, what was important to us at work, at home and for our lives. We adapted our physical workspaces and used a holistic approach to understand our new world.
The borders across Europe were closing, an Italian staff member found me mid-shift, he wanted to get back to Italy to be with his father, who was ok at this time and covid free, but had a long-term health condition and high risk, he wanted to be home with him. The news was detailing that Italy was closing its borders soon, but he could get a flight later that day. What should I do? I supported him, told him to go and to post me his ID badge when he could. He left and made it home just before the border closed. I remember his face, our conversation, the anguish and moral distress within him wanting to work and stay with his team but also needing to get home. He didn’t want to let anyone down. I told him it was my job to resolve the staffing and HR issues and his job to get the flight.
There are a million interactions and many different people with stories and memories to share. Some are too difficult to say out loud or even to think about. However, today is our chance to remember and I do.
My message to all of my NHS colleagues, thank you. My team that I worked with, you will always have a place in my heart, and I am so grateful for each of you. Team ED, you know who you are, thank you, thank you, thank you.
The aim of Convergence2025 is to examine the epidemic of loneliness—both individual and collective—and identify its effects, from climate change to economic inequality and body stigmatisation.
Paquita de Zulueta will be in conversation with Dr Caesar Atuire and Jill Hayes 29th March 3-4pm on Sharing decisions in the context of suffering and dying.
