10 May 2021

Varsha Dodhia, CNWL BAME Staff Network Co-Chair shares her thoughts:

"During the exponential rise in number of people infected, doctors at the frontline have had to become superheroes. Medical students straight out of University have had to grow up fast. One of the toughest jobs as an intern is managing a Covid helpline, which often involved finding hospital beds for callers and arranging ambulances for them.

On wards where more and more people are arriving, the resources stretched beyond limits, oxygen in real short supply and people dying has a huge impact on medical staff.

How can as NHS help these clinicians on the front line?"

 

India has asked for specific support which is being co-ordinated centrally by NHS England and Department of Health to ensure it gets what it needs, where it is most needed. This is so important given the intensity and pace colleagues there are working at. Although offers of support have been so gratefully received, we know that ad hoc contact direct to parts of the Indian government and health service are difficult for them to manage as they cope with the overwhelming surge in cases.

Financial donations via the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal are helping to ensure that essentials get to medical staff and vulnerable communities as quickly as possible. There are numerous other charitable options for colleagues who wish to donate, including a fundraising page set up by the South Asian Heritage NHS Leaders Staff Network.

Please continue to check that all our colleagues from the Indian diaspora have the support they need and do encourage everyone to make use of the bespoke support offers for people from different race and faith groups. These include bereavement support and staff mental health hubs.

 

A message from Prerana Issar, NHS Chief People Officer

"I wanted to begin by saying thank you once again for your immense support and solidarity with India, and for the care you have shown colleagues who are affected. The expertise, innovation and compassion shown by colleagues reflects the best of our NHS.

As well as leading the NHS response to support India, I'm joining cross-government meetings and am in close contact with the Indian High Commission to share our expertise. This week I led the first of our Clinical Advisory Group meetings, attended by leaders from across the NHS and beyond. Following consultation and alongside the wider government offer, which includes equipment and oxygen, we are focusing on four areas: advice on surge hospitals; remote monitoring/management; clinician-clinician telelink; and vetting equipment inventory. This includes sharing our knowledge of remote monitoring services and remote triaging services, setting up clinician-clinician workshops to help aid understanding, including on the use of treatment methods, and sharing knowledge and expertise around the creation of additional surge capacity.

Yesterday NHS England and NHS Improvement delivered our first knowledge exchange with the leadership team from the Indian government and the Indian Armed Forces Medical Services, which focused on the deployment of surge hospitals and our experience. We’re now forming smaller working groups to assist further.

It's vitally important that our response is safe, joined up, and responds to the needs of the people and government of India, complementing the ongoing efforts of Indian healthcare workers. We are being guided by the Indian government and are working sensitively with them to ensure this remains the case.

We have been overwhelmed by offers of help from colleagues across the NHS and are reviewing these in line with the above. You can email offers of support to us at nhsi.indiaaidoffers@nhs.net, but for now, we’d ask that you continue to support by giving NHS colleagues who are affected the time and space to access our health and wellbeing resources, as well as the other resources, including the charity options available.

I’m proud the NHS is able to help in this way. Thank you once again for your support and solidarity for those affected during this distressing time."