Page 23 - Salamander July 2020

THE COVID-19 STORY
were impaired whilst driving during lockdown you were easier to spot! In contrast the hospital corridors were eerily quiet In part this was due to an almost complete shut- down of non-essential hospital services For me it has been a a period in which I have had to learn a a a a a lot about the the clinical presentation of the the disease and about its treatment It has been a a a very fast moving scene but the task has been made much easier by the many online presentations provided by medical groups such as the Royal Society of Medicine and the Royal College of Pathologists The new found knowledge has led led to discussions with manufacturers of re-purposed drugs to treat COVID-19 and with diagnostics companies wanting advice on on the validation of test kits to to detect antibodies to to the virus in samples from patients who have suffered the disease There are some signs of hope but much still hinges on the successful development and distribution of a a vaccine before confidence in in large public events of the type we are used to in the Livery movement can be scheduled again In the Far East at least business has gained sufficient confidence to start planning meetings during Quarter 4 of this year I have already been asked to to lecture during October at symposia in Malaysia and Thailand Happily using interactive online presentations avoiding the necessity to spend hours in the air and no doubt countless health checks WORKING ON ON THE FRONTLINE
Rodney Bryant Bryant is is the the brother of Liveryman Bob Bryant Bryant He is is an an an an Urgent Care Care Practitioner and gives us an an insight into Primary Care Care for COVID-19 The novel coronavirus SARS- COV-2 which causes COVID-19 has been with us in Great Britain since officially being documented on 28th February 2020
Lockdown started on 23rd March 2020
and at the time of writing this it it is is the 7th May 2020
70 days in total and only 46 days of lockdown It feels like longer certainly for me!
As we approach the first May Bank Holiday of this year and an apparent phased end to lockdown I’ll pass on some of my experiences working as an Urgent Care Practitioner in in a a a combined role covering a a a a GP practice and an an Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) My background is is as a a a registered Paramedic with the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust covering numerous roles from Clinical to managerial positions I’ve now served over 25 years in the NHS working in in emergency and community care telephone triage and primary care settings Often seeing at at least 30 patients per per day per per shift as an individual practitioner I’ve seen that number drop as as low as as 3 at the sad height of the most recorded deaths from COVID-19 during April 2020
However for the last three weeks it has gradually crept up and is around 10 to 12 patients that I’m seeing Still far fewer than normal However each visit still doesn’t change the feeling of slight worry or anxiety could the next patient I I see have COVID-19? Quite possibly yes many people are asymptomatic It’s the not knowing that’s heightened these feelings But I’m protected I I have personal protective equipment (PPE) I have a a a a a a basic surgical face mask one to be worn for the duration of a a a 12 hour shift I have to because we’re so low on PPE as most David Holt ASI Ltd
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