Every Thursday evening at 8:00 we go outside our front doors and clap for the NHS, carers and other key workers, our windows have become colourful rainbows and Capt. Tom inspires us to raise a colossal amount for NHS charities. It would appear that everyone’s hearts and lives are locked in to the NHS during the pandemic. But is it true? What about those people with life-limited illnesses, for example, unable to access their full NHS support as resources are directed to COVID-19? Are they being they locked out?
Since cancer came uninvited into our family we have been locked in to the NHS and its wonderful caring professional staff. Of course I never want the lock in to stop but along came COVID-19. Since the beginning of April the NHS locked out my daughter in a tremendous attempt to support another deadly newer disease. The papers, radio and TV are full of pictures and accounts of the staff in PPE and there are stories abound about the lack of PPE and its effect on staff. I wonder how the NHS wonderful caring specialist staff feel when their patients are locked out because of COVID-19? How are they coping?
My daughter copes by locking in to herself not knowing if her cancer is continuing its deadly spread and not wanting to catch COVID-19. It is harrowing to see and difficult to accept as she locks me out in an attempt to protect us both. Next month the NHS has invited my daughter to lock back in for her overdue scans to check the progress of the cancer.
I hope it’s now time to be locked into the NHS and my daughter again; to forget all about the worry, hurt and sadness that being locked out entails.
Anon.
