Covid-19 diaries from the respiratory unit: Entry #4
In this diary entry, respiratory consultant Richa Singh sends dispatches from the front line... of remote working.
As with the rest of the covidology department (as named by our SpRs Brinnie and Richard in the last blog) the recent weeks have resulted in a complete shift in my normal working life.
The initial planning of how Covid would affect our wards and department started in late February and little did I know, only a couple of weeks later I, like many others, would have my nose to the computer screen working remotely due to self-isolation, rather than being on the wards.
There has been a wide range of work needed during the pandemic. At the start, we all were attempting to keep up to date on the rapidly changing national guidelines. Together with my colleagues in our department, emergency and acute medicine and the respiratory community teams, we have been able to develop our Trust standard operating procedures and I have been working with the London Respiratory Clinical Network to enable shared experiences and learning with our colleagues across London.
We have written guidelines for the management of respiratory patients being looked after by the non-Respiratory specialist, and my nephrologist husband definitely came in handy as a ‘lay person’ for proof-reading.
To support this work, without the benefit of having your colleagues just an office away, there have been numerous teleconference calls and a multitude of email exchanges each day.
Clinical work also had to continue. We have all learned how to utilise telephone clinics to minimise risk to our patients, many of whom are shielding, and care for them remotely, but also to provide support to our local primary care team for the many unknowns we are dealing with in the community.
All of us have felt out of our comfort zone.
It has been a steep learning curve with no distinction between work and home. The frustration of isolating (now known as frusolating) reinforces the importance of team working, but this can be achieved remotely, just in a different way.
Our Zoom post-work wine o’clock (including gate crashing the renal team’s drinks), the checking-in phone calls from my clinical director, colleagues and my junior doctors, and flowers from my community respiratory team, have been an immense support and I remain firmly part of the Covidology team, even if that is from home rather than Whitechapel.
Weekly recipe
This week’s recipe is courtesy of Ottolenghi, and his blueberry, almond and lemon cake from my favourite cookbook, Simple. It never fails to impress.
Here’s to ‘flattening the curve’, which sounds like the title of a lockdown exercise book by fitness guru Joe Wicks!
Take care and stay safe.
Love Team Resp xxx
Dr Richa Singh, respiratory consultant
Blueberry, almond and lemon cake
SERVES 8 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing 190g caster sugar 2 lemons: finely grate the zest to get 2 tsp, then juice to get 2 tbsp 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 large eggs, beaten 90g self-raising flour, sifted ⅛ tsp salt 110g ground almonds 200g blueberries 70g icing sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan (200C/gas 6). Grease and line a loaf tin 11cm x 21cm, and set aside.
2. Place the butter, sugar, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and vanilla in the bowl of a free-standing food mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Beat on a high speed for 3-4 minutes, until light, then lower the speed to medium. Add the eggs, in small additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl. The mix may split a little, but don’t worry: it’ll come back together. Add the flour, salt and almonds in three additions. Finally, fold in 150g of blueberries, by hand, and pour into the prepared loaf tin.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining 50g of blueberries over the top of the cake. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes, until the cake is golden-brown but still uncooked. Cover loosely with tinfoil and continue to bake for 25-30 minutes, until risen and cooked. Test by inserting a knife into the middle: it’s ready if it comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside, in its tin, to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, make the icing. Put the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice into a bowl with the icing sugar and whisk until smooth. Pour over the cake and gently spread out: the blueberries on the top of the cake will bleed into the icing a little, but don’t worry, this will add to the look.