“I didn’t have to think twice” – St Bartholomew’s CNS Linda Moss on her coronavirus redeployment
Linda Moss is a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) working within inherited cardiac disease at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. She has recently transitioned to the third floor cardiac wards to support teams whose staff have been redeployed to the coronavirus frontline in critical care.
“This is just my second week since joining the cardiology wards at St Bartholomew’s, where I’m helping to fill vacancies left by colleagues redeployed to critical care.
“Whilst the fundamentals of nursing do not change – there’s still an awful lot to learn that isn’t a part of my day-to-day role as a clinical nurse specialist supporting patients with inherited cardiac disease.
“E-documentation is one area where we’re having to adapt at pace – including managing admission packs and care plans.
“Cardiac monitoring, infusion pumps and administering the correct drugs are other areas where we’re quickly coming up-to-speed.
“A number of people in my team have made the change, alongside specialists from other areas such as arrhythmia. There’s a real sense that we’re all in this together, and the support from my new teammates has been fantastic – even if we don’t all have quite the same colour uniforms!
“Thankfully, I’m not shy and have no problem with asking questions if there is something I don’t fully understand. But even the most basic questions get a detailed and thoughtful response – everyone is willing to help and explain.
“It’s a very positive environment.
“The training we received before joining the wards was brief, but this is a unique situation and I understand why this was the case.
“As clinical nurse specialists, we bring a lot of experience with us already, which we share with our new colleagues – it's important to be open-minded, adaptable and willing to learn.
“I still think about my regular patients – many of whom I’ve got to know very well over the years.
“Despite their own obvious health challenges, they understand the pressure the NHS is under at the moment and have even sent messages of support to us, wishing us well for whatever lies ahead. That means a lot.
“When I found out, just two weeks ago, that I was needed on the wards, I didn’t have to think twice.
“Now, more than ever, we all need to work together and look out for each other.
“That's what nursing is all about.”
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