We get a lot of support in the Ambulance
Service. Usually, if we’ve been on the
scene of a big incident, such as a car crash
where someone has died, we’ll have a
debrief afterwards and there’s a service
called SALS that you can call if you’re
struggling emotionally.
Everyone always asks what the most
traumatic job I’ve been to is, and they expect
it to be the car crashes, but for me it’ll be the
old man who’s just lost his wife of many years,
or those people who tell me they haven’t seen
anyone else for months and say how nice it’s
been to see me. If I ask someone who their
next of kin is and they don’t have anyone,
those are the people I take home with me.DARK HUMOUR
Paramedics generally have a dark sense
of humour and I’ve found that since I’ve
qualified and been working full-time, I’ve
cried a lot less. My way of dealing with
trauma and grief is to make jokes, but only
when I’m among my paramedic friends. We
call the virus “the Rhona” so it sounds less
scary and more like a person. It’s just one
of the ways we can get through the day –
or night! My dogs keep me sane, too, and
I can take them out for walks near my home
in Stoke once I get back from a shift.
Since the pandemic started, the First Dates
gang have all been a bit worried
about me and have been
checking in. Merlin Griffiths,
the bar tender, sent me a
funny video of himself
playing the guitar and
singing and Fred Sirieix
is lovely – he’s always
checking up on me and
writing stuff on my
Instagram posts. We
have a group WhatsApp,
but for now we don’t know
when we’ll see each other
or when the next series will be.
Normally, because I’m able to
film First Dates at the weekend and
First Dates Hotel during my annual leave,
I can juggle the show with my career. But
for now, it’s all up in the air and being a
paramedic is my number one focus.
As a country, none of us really knows
what’s coming next. Us medics have to
prepare for the worst case scenario and
remember each day is different. The best
way for us all to cope is to stay as safe as
possible and take each day as it comes.
Eventually, we will come out the other side.
LEBBY EYRESPledge your support for our NHS
Heroes – visit the gratitude map at
thanksamillionnhs.co.uk and place
a heart on your location in the UK
by entering your postcodeBefore coronavirus,
every chair in the A&E
department was full, but
now there is no one sitting
there. It’s a reminder to people
that A&E really is for emergencies only. It’s
not an extended GP surgery and hopefully
after this pandemic is over, the system won’t
be abused as much.
So far, I’ve felt perfectly healthy myself,
although one day I got a headache and was
worried I was coming down with it. I was
almost in tears. I’d feel like I was letting my
crewmates down if I was off the road. Luckily,
I was fine and my temperature was normal,
but if I did have to self-isolate, that would be
the right thing to do.
I live with my two dogs, Tommi and Ella, so
I don’t have to worry about passing anything
on to anyone at home, but I couldn’t see my
mum before lockdown because she’s just had
surgery and fell into the high-risk category.
It’s been hard, but we talk on FaceTime.
I have colleagues who’ve had to check into
hotels because a member of their family has
shown symptoms while they’ve been out at
work, so they’ve not been able to go home.the drugs ready in the ambulance and then
we’re on call for 12 hours, with a 45-minute
lunch break.
It’s understandable, but people are still
calling 999 when they’ve got mild symptoms
and unfortunately some have even called up
saying they’ve got chest pains and they’ve
been flagged as having no COVID-19 concerns
- but when we turn up they’re coughing.
People need to be 100 per cent truthful with
the 999 and 111 call handlers and give honest
answers to all the questions they’re asked,
so that we can protect ourselves and them.
SERIOUSLY ILL
I understand people are scared for
themselves and their children, but we
don’t carry test kits, so if their coronavirus
symptoms are mild, there’s not much we can
do. They just need to follow the guidelines
and self-isolate. I try to make them see it’s
not safe if I visit them and then have to go
and pick an elderly lady up off the floor.
Inevitably, I’ve had to take more seriously
ill patients to hospital with the virus. For the
most part, it is elderly patients or those with
underlying health conditions.
REAL LIFE
Her dogs keep
her sane