Clinical Governance Team Story

At a time when a lot of our staff were having to go out of their comfort zones, three of us from the Clinical Governance and Quality Team decided to volunteer to work as Healthcare Support Workers.  Our first thoughts were that our colleagues and patients needed help so we left our roles as Volunteer Co-ordinator, Patient Experience Officer and Clinical Information Facilitator to join the fight against COVID on the COVID wards.

“I’m really squeamish but I have worked for NHS Borders for 9 years and I wanted to I something back to the service in its hour of need”.        

Leanne, Clinical Governance Facilitator

We all felt really welcomed by the ward staff and made to feel part of the team.  We worried that we wouldn’t be able to properly help or be able to work as a HCSW, but we were made to feel so welcomed and quickly found out how useful we could be on the ward.  We also relaised how essential Healthcare Support Workers are in the ward.

“On my first day, I worried that I wouldn’t be of any use but I ended up helping and comforting a Staff Nurse who was emotionally and physically exhausted.”

Joanne,Volunteer Co-ordinator

Although we are usually office based, we felt that our different backgrounds really helped us to become good Healthcare Support Workers and even helped the wards to run a bit more smoothly.

“As the Patients Experience Officer dealing with patient complaints, I know that we receive  complaints around basic nursing care so I always made sure that the buzzer was in reach for the patient and that they could reach their glass of water and that the patients were dry. I felt that I was able to use the knowledge gained in my own job to enhance patient care.”

Susan, Patient Experience Officer

“I felt that I could use my administrative skills to improve systems and processes on the ward.  I developed a checklist to support the morning and afternoon patient handover and my clinical colleagues all agreed that it improved and streamlined the process.  They are now looking at rolling our the checklist across other wards.”

Joanne, Volunteer Co-ordinator

“Part of my role is to deal with cancer audits so I found it really useful to gain that clinical insight.”

Leanne, Clinical Governance Facilitator 

Now that we have returned to our jobs in Clinical Governance, we feel that our time working as HCSWs has really benefitted us.

I used to be aware that our volunteers may feel a little anxious going on to the ward for the first time, but since working in a ward myself, I am now really mindful of how anxious they may be and I make sure they are welcomed, supported on the ward.

Joanne

Although we wouldn’t necessarily say we enjoyed our time working as Healthcare Support Workers, we each found it very worthwhile and took a great deal of satisfaction from it.  We’re really pleased we did it.

Within an hour and a half of starting on the ward, I helped with the last offices for a patient.  I was really pleased to have been involved and to see how lovely and nice the staff where to the patient”.

You are the last person I think of when I drive  home

You are the first person I think of when I drive to work

Pulling on my scrubs I go to walk that corridor

Are you there, have you gone?

Scared to look I check the ward board for your name

Is it there?

I watch you as you sleep

Are you breathing?

I talk softly to you

Your eyes flutter open

Those eyes so scared and frightened

I talk to you again

I say my name, I say your name

I smile

You do not see my smile

I wear a mask and visor

You weep I take your hand

The hands that has held yours many times

The hand in the blue glove

Many months pass

I see you again

You do not recognise me but I recognise you

I smile at you as I pass

You smile politely back

There is no mask

There is no visor

I know the name of the lady beside you

I know because I know the name of your next of kin

You take her hand to guide her

There is no blue glove

Stay home so we can remove our masks and take off our blue gloves

Written By Susan, Patient Experience Officer