Some reflections from my first month in the thick of it on the #COVID19 frontline. In no way clinical but more personal musings.

1. F1s/SHOs - my junior colleagues have really shown they are worth their weight in gold. They’ve had their normal rotations cancelled and are soldiering on in ED/Acute Med or have been redeployed to ICU.

They have continued to be meticulous in their approach to Medicine. Alongside this, they have shown incredible emotional maturity in dealing with death and human tragedy on a daily basis, that no previous generation had faced. The ‘back in my day’ brigade have been silenced.

2. Consultants - already respected in my eyes only to have climbed to new heights. I have seen them, some of whom are in the older age bracket, going in to treat and comfort patients despite an element of risk to their own safety. Their sense of vocation is as high today as ever.

3. Nurses - the heroes of heroes as always in the NHS. The dedication I have seen is unwavering. We doctors have it easy, swanning in and out of the rooms and bays as we please.

The nurses are constantly there with the patients, caring as compassionately as ever, in PPE, not flinching despite the risk to themselves. The nurses are the ones watching patients like hawks, letting us know of the slightest deterioration. They are the patient's lifeline.

4. Teaching - concerned this would be another casualty of this crisis. Actually it’s been the reverse. My deanery has been fantastic in organising a weekly Zoom lecture series on Cardiology and one of my consultants has found time to do almost daily tutorials on common topics.

I’ve taken it upon myself to be more proactive in teaching on ward rounds. Another idea we’re developing amongst specialties is a series of ‘rapid-review’ 5 minute video tutorials to share.

5. Death - sadly inevitable in my trade and now a lot more so. We all find our coping mechanisms. But even with coping mechanisms, it’s not easy. It all got a bit real for me when I admitted a family-friend Uncle with #COVID19, who went on to die. We carry the emotional scars.

6. Vulnerability - We see patients in their most vulnerable state, scared for their lives. They put their trust in us. How special we are to receive this trust. I always thought practising Medicine was a privilege and it really has hit home now.

There is a genuine look of fear in a patient’s eyes as they are about to be put to sleep to go onto a ventilator, not knowing when, or if, they will ever wake up. But they trust you to take away their consciousness, control their breathing and nurse them back to health.

7. Leadership - exemplary. Our Medical Director @Kupermar and ID lead @DocGurj get special mentions but I have seen all levels of clinical and operational leads putting in the extra miles to maintain a clear sense of direction and calm amongst the storm we are facing.

8. Team spirit - in odd sense we have gone back to the ‘firm’ structure. I am with my teams on a lot more of a regular basis rather than the 'chop/change' of modern rostering. This helps to build a sense of shared investment and camaraderie in what we are doing.

9. NHS adaptability - I frequently lament and lampoon the NHS for being notoriously slow to adapt to change. But I’ve been well and truly proven wrong here.

We have rapidly changed our working rosters to include a heck of a lot more hours, our team meetings to virtual, our outpatient clinics to telephone and massively ramped up our capacity where needed. We have moved fast and flown in formation.

10. Kindness - I see kindness every day at work. But I’ve been struck by the kindness of society. Be that endless amounts of food to sustain me, the weekly #clapforcarers, the messages from friends & family around the world, the thank you flags posted at my hospital,...

... @DJEZOfficial’s marathon 24hour set or @Sainsburys letting me in 30 minutes early, it has all had a part in fuelling my physical and mental wellbeing.

That's enough of my ramblings. Remember, #StayHomeSaveLives and please follow the advice at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus  & https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

BONUS: Should righty be scolded for leaving out on the first thread but thank you to all our allied health professionals. Often forgotten but essential components to the giant machine. I doubt anyone who signed up to be a...

...physiotherapist, occupational therapist, pharmacist, radiographer, dietician, porter, admin staff, security guard or cleaner (and anyone else!) ever dreamed of being at work against a deadly virus but here they are going about their jobs with such professionalism. Bravo