"Ward staff support during CO-VID"

The last year on Seacole ward has been chaotic to say the least. With the pandemic, lockdown, staff shortages and only one female ward of mixed patients. Some patients at the beginning of their treatment and others nearing the end of their treatment and waiting to move on, it has truly been a tough time for staff as well as patients.

However on the whole, even at the most difficult of times, I have managed to remain positive about the future. This would not have been possible without the staff tram that have been working hard with us while also having to cope with their own personal lives during a pandemic. sometimes I feel that a lot of the credit goes to those who manage the unit rather than those who are actually on the "Shop Floor"  dealing with all the incidents and reactions from patients in response to decisions that are made by management and those are on the whole, hardly ever here.

The support from the team on the ward has been very limited due to the unsettled environment and low staffing levels during the last year, but based on the quality of some of the staff that we do have, I feel that I would have not been able to remain as positive as I am today without their help and support. They keep us laughing, some days we sing, dance, and laugh almost all day. Some days are horrendous but my care and treatment from them has been consistent.

I have never felt so positive about my future until I came here, and trust me i'm NOT getting paid to write this, even on my worse days, I remind myself that we have had some great days, and this is because of staff support. All the ranting and raving that they have had to endure from me when i'm fed up with everything, and the staff still be able to laugh and joke with me when I have calmed down is something you can't teach. I have been in services for almost 20 years now, I can honestly say this place has helped me achieve so much.  Thanks to all the ward staff for making this possible for me.