This week we had the funeral for my Dad who passed away two weeks ago due to #COVID19. There is one lesson I want all healthcare (particularly #ODP students) to take away from our experience. An experience that will match many families. 1/10

My Dad was fit and in his late 50s, I have already gone over the whys, what could have been done's and evidence-based discussion on twitter. Suffice to say I am happy my Dad had the best evidence-based care available to him at the time. 2/10

In any case - unless someone can find me a pretty reputable necromancer, he isn't coming back. However there is one element of his care that practitioners and students can often take for granted that would have been the most important to him in his last few days/hours. 3/10

Like so many families, we were unable to see my Dad at all in hospital (save for facetime) and his death was too sudden for the hospital to call us in to say goodbye. I spoke to the nurse-in-charge post-mortem and she gave me all the time I needed at the end of her shift 4/10

This was huge for me because I knew fully well that my dad may not have been the first death of the day and that she would have wanted nothing more than to go home and hug her own family, but she gave me the time I needed as a family member. 5/10

In our discussion it came to light that Dad had been looked after in a converted Recovery bay and therefore likely looked after by an ODP at some point in his journey. This made me smile as I was happy to see my own profession involved in Dad's care. 6/10

There was one thing I wanted to know more than anything though, and it wasn't about the intubation, how many cannulae he had, what drugs he had. I wanted to know if someone held his hand. Because I couldn't. Because my step-mum couldn't. My 11-year old sister, couldn't. 7/10

So for all students and practitioners. Whatever new skills you get out of this period - be it intubation, line-insertion, catheterisation. Do not forget the reason you came into the profession, the reason your universities recruited you to join the profession 8/10

Use this time to exercise your Care (capital C). To be there for patients who are unable to see loved one's and vice-versa. So that when families ask you the question, did someone hold their hand? You can say yes, and that they knew they could let go safely. 9/10

Please stay safe everyone. Tell your families you love them every day, let petty arguments go, help others whenever you can. My Dad lived by this and taught it to his children and the world is an ever-so-brighter place because he was in it. 10/10