When COVID first became apparent, I was a ward nurse. The initial phase saw the wards empty due to public fear. It was a surreal experience but at this point, I now know that the community teams were taking the brunt of the first wave. As the virus took a hold more and more patients were admitted and soon the wards were full. It was a case of dig deep and just get stuck in. There was no other option but to work as a team to keep the flow through the hospital. I had my fair share of relocations to work the COVID wards and quite frankly it was scary. I'll never forget the repetition of getting home after a long shift, stripping down in the hallway to try to contain any trace of COVID that I may have brought home.

Toward the end of the first year of COVID I decided to take a leap into community nursing, a choice I do not regret. This did not come without its challenges and COVID was still very obvious in the community setting. Trying to Don full PPE by the boot of your car whilst the wind was blowing was eventful! Then trying to ensure the safe disposal of waste from a COVID positive home, when no yellow bins were available in the patients' homes meant a constant stream of risk assessments. Community working was continuously changing in light of the COVID rules and multiple times we adhered to lone working to prevent mixing in the office and relied on Teams as means of communication and safety. It was isolating at times. Again we got stuck in and did what we had to do to ensure the safety of patients and colleagues.

Working through COVID has been emotional at times, demanding, tiring and frustrating at times. However, I have experienced some of the best times during this and I have worked with some of Lincoln's best nurses and healthcare professionals. I will carry these memories of tears and laughter with me forever. Huge shout-out to the Chaplaincy team ULHT for prioritising our welfare during the worst of COVID and a massive shout out to the girls on SEAU ULHT and Lincoln North ICT Ravendale 💖