Working as a health professional during the pandemic

There has been much said in the last 12 months about the impact of the pandemic on key workers. We talked to Mavis Ayer, who is an MS Lead Nurse at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, about her experiences as a health professional and how the last year has seen MS services challenged in a way never seen before.

Yes. I was first drawn to multiple sclerosis because of my interest in neuroscience and I became an MS health professional six years ago. I also wanted a role which offered a better work-life balance than the job I was in at the time.

My role over the past 12 months has changed massively! The services we offer all became virtual and we had to adapt very quickly with new technology, constantly changing advice and the ever evolving uncertainties that came with the pandemic. All this while considering how it would affect our patients.

Although I was not personally redeployed, some of my nurses were in the first wave of the pandemic. I actually volunteered to be redeployed during that time but it wasn't practical as I was leading a team in charge of managing MS services. In the second wave, I was unfortunately affected by Covid-19 myself, which meant that I couldn't be redeployed.

As I mentioned previously, managing the uncertainty of the situation, facing our own fears while trying to manage our patients' fears and worries. The ever changing advice on DMDs, vaccinations and shielding have all been huge challenges for myself and the team around me.

Although it has been a challenging year, I think it's important to reflect on what we have learned and to keep going with those things that have worked well, such as virtual consultations, for example. It's also important to remember to look after ourselves as clinicians, take care of our mental health, wellbeing and building resilience so that we can be at our best, both for our patients and ourselves.