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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
An interesting and heartbreaking read, what an amazing, inspiring job the health care profession did and still do during the pandemic.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Cawpile: 8.50 4.5*
A harrowing account of the covid pandemic from the inside of the NHS.
A harrowing account of the covid pandemic from the inside of the NHS.
At the start of the pandemic, Anthea Allen an experienced critical care nurse wrote a 'round robin' email to her contacts to request biscuits for critical care staff as a morale boost.
This turned into a weekly email in response to the feedback she had.
This book is the content of those emails, which act as an accurate as it happens memoir with a brief discussion around each email.
As a fellow NHS worker, I found the book interesting and could relate to a lot of the fear and the feelings she describes as going into battle with an invisible enemy. The term redeployment was frequently banded about felt like a battle term.
The team were really in the thick of it and I can't deny how under appreciated they are for the many skills the possess. They also very let down by the 1% pay rise, a real kick in the teeth but one I fully expected as this pa rise was agreed before the pandemic started.
Anthea also describes how nervous they were about contracting covid. A fear that I can appreciates. The reality of wearing hot PPE, not recognising one another because they were working in an aerosol generated procedure area, actually gave them the protection they needed. A protection not afforded to other nurses and how working on an ordinary covid ward, many of whom contacted covid and some of which died because we were wearing non fitted masks and visors.
Anthea had every right to be proud of herself and her team for coping under such stressful circumstances and their altruistic approach but found her lack of modesty uncomfortable. I also found that she contradicts herself by describing altruism and how they are not heroes then going on to say how wonderful they al are (which of course they are.
The book is more of a collection of emails with the odd anecdote thrown in,
For readers of biographies and memoir non fiction adult books.
With thanks to #NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, Nonfiction, Harper Element for the preview read in return for an honest review. #LifeDeathandbiscuits.
This turned into a weekly email in response to the feedback she had.
This book is the content of those emails, which act as an accurate as it happens memoir with a brief discussion around each email.
As a fellow NHS worker, I found the book interesting and could relate to a lot of the fear and the feelings she describes as going into battle with an invisible enemy. The term redeployment was frequently banded about felt like a battle term.
The team were really in the thick of it and I can't deny how under appreciated they are for the many skills the possess. They also very let down by the 1% pay rise, a real kick in the teeth but one I fully expected as this pa rise was agreed before the pandemic started.
Anthea also describes how nervous they were about contracting covid. A fear that I can appreciates. The reality of wearing hot PPE, not recognising one another because they were working in an aerosol generated procedure area, actually gave them the protection they needed. A protection not afforded to other nurses and how working on an ordinary covid ward, many of whom contacted covid and some of which died because we were wearing non fitted masks and visors.
Anthea had every right to be proud of herself and her team for coping under such stressful circumstances and their altruistic approach but found her lack of modesty uncomfortable. I also found that she contradicts herself by describing altruism and how they are not heroes then going on to say how wonderful they al are (which of course they are.
The book is more of a collection of emails with the odd anecdote thrown in,
For readers of biographies and memoir non fiction adult books.
With thanks to #NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, Nonfiction, Harper Element for the preview read in return for an honest review. #LifeDeathandbiscuits.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
This book came about as the result of an initial email to friends and neighbours, asking for biscuits for the Critical Care nurses. Over time, it became a weekly email to an increasingly wider group, detailing what it was like in the hospital during the pandemic. As somewhat of an outsider (I worked as admin in the NHS pre-pandemic, and spent time visiting family in hospital during the pandemic), I had a basic idea of what it must be like. And this confirmed that, as well as showing the incredible team work and effort that nurses go to to care for their patients. Don’t get me wrong, I do think they are remarkably caring and hard working.
But.
At times, this felt like it was saying nurses were the only thing - it sometimes glossed over the knowledge and expertise that doctors and consultants have. Is it different knowledge to that of nurses? I’m sure it is. But it’s no less valuable for that. This felt at times like it was doing a disservice to doctors and consultants. Especially when there were these two quotes that really struck me as disrespectful:
“It feels to us old ones that they are still children, and the odd one comes with attitude and immaturity. One doctor - young and pretty - seems to have just tumbled out of boarding school and med school, and has much to learn about life, people and medicine. She fainted after two hours in the Covid area. Nurses raised their eyebrows. We are tough and strong and made of a different fabric.”
—Judging much? What if she was unwell?
Or how about “the best moment this week was when I asked a consultant to help clean a patient who had profuse diarrhoea in the extreme. [...] The consultant was gagging despite the FFP3 mask and visor, Burt we jokingly said we assessed her as competent to clean up poo and laughed at her poor constitution.”
—Well I bet that made her feel SO much better...
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. Like another reviewer, I have mixed feelings about this book, which is why it’s got 3 stars rather than 4.
But.
At times, this felt like it was saying nurses were the only thing - it sometimes glossed over the knowledge and expertise that doctors and consultants have. Is it different knowledge to that of nurses? I’m sure it is. But it’s no less valuable for that. This felt at times like it was doing a disservice to doctors and consultants. Especially when there were these two quotes that really struck me as disrespectful:
“It feels to us old ones that they are still children, and the odd one comes with attitude and immaturity. One doctor - young and pretty - seems to have just tumbled out of boarding school and med school, and has much to learn about life, people and medicine. She fainted after two hours in the Covid area. Nurses raised their eyebrows. We are tough and strong and made of a different fabric.”
—Judging much? What if she was unwell?
Or how about “the best moment this week was when I asked a consultant to help clean a patient who had profuse diarrhoea in the extreme. [...] The consultant was gagging despite the FFP3 mask and visor, Burt we jokingly said we assessed her as competent to clean up poo and laughed at her poor constitution.”
—Well I bet that made her feel SO much better...
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. Like another reviewer, I have mixed feelings about this book, which is why it’s got 3 stars rather than 4.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.
This book appealed to me as a nurse working through the coronavirus pandemic and being redeployed. It made me realise the impact it has had on both myself, colleagues and family. A brilliant memoir of one nurses experience.
This book appealed to me as a nurse working through the coronavirus pandemic and being redeployed. It made me realise the impact it has had on both myself, colleagues and family. A brilliant memoir of one nurses experience.