"Our lives have not been as important as kickstarting the economy again"
Putting Patient’s before profits
…Hear Dianne’s story of her experience of COVID-19
Diane is a volunteer for the New Deal for the NHS.
I am in my mid sixties and having my freedom to travel anywhere I like taken away from me has been a very strange and surreal experience in my lifetime.
I became aware of Covid-19 in February. Things started to build up in the news. To me, it just didn’t make sense as to why the government was still allowing big gatherings like the Cheltenham horse racing event on March 13th to go ahead. In total, 251,684 people attended over 3 days - a hot-bed for the virus to spread.
Ironically on the same day the World Health Organisation classified COVID-19 as a pandemic. It didn’t feel like we were taking this virus seriously enough!
In April, my daughter called to tell me she was experiencing Covid-19 symptoms. I was so worried, yet what made it even worse, was the fact that we didn’t know for sure whether it was Coronavirus. She couldn’t get tested. As you can imagine when you cannot see someone close to you during the pandemic it can be very distressing, but for them to potentially have the virus as well, the worry and anxiety rockets.
My daughter stayed at home as advised and thankfully has recovered with no long term side effects. I know the situation for others is a lot worse.
For me, a lot of questions about our response to this virus need answering, and a lot should have been done differently! Why did lockdown start so late? Why was the narrative of herd immunity used by England’s Chief Scientific Adviser? Why have key staff not been given adequate Protective Equipment? Why has it taken so long to accept offers from businesses in the UK offering PPE? Why is it only now that the UK is starting to think about tracking and tracing? Why has our approach been so different to other countries?
Throughout this pandemic, it has felt as though our lives have not been as important as kickstarting the economy again so that others can once again profit.
Since early March, myself and my partner have tried to be cautious. I am worried. There are probably thousands of families across the UK who have had a similar experience to mine. I know my daughter was lucky, but this event really reminded me how vulnerable we all are to this virus and how lucky we are to have the NHS. Too often we take the NHS for granted - but our NHS needs supporting right now! It has suffered 10 long years of cuts, it has suffered fragmentation and it has suffered neglect from government policy. This needs to change!
It has been overwhelming to see communities coming together at this time to help each other and help those that are vulnerable through mutual aid. This is why I’m helping to build a New Deal for the NHS - I want to be a part of a community effort to organise and create change for our NHS. I want to ensure something like this never happens again! Join me in trying to make a difference during this lockdown.
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