Annette Adkins' story

Annette Adkins, Educator, Corporate Education

“My husband and I both work at UHB. I work in Corporate Education, usually based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and he is a nurse at Heartlands Hospital. However, during the pandemic I was redeployed to support in the staff wellbeing hub at Heartlands.

“My husband caught COVID-19 very early on in the pandemic and after becoming so unwell; he had to be ‘blue lighted’ to Russell’s Hall Hospital where he spent just over a week on a COVID-19 ward and in the High Dependency Unit.

“Initially we were both isolating together, but about a week and a half into that he went to hospital. Of course while he was there he couldn’t have any visitors, and I was still finishing my isolation period anyway.

“It was very traumatic for me. It was very scary because I couldn’t visit and I was so worried about him. I was able to call and text him on his mobile but it wasn’t the same. I also couldn’t have visitors during this time, so I was alone.

“Once I had finished isolating I returned to work, but my husband was still in hospital.

“Returning to work helped to distract me, especially being able to talk to staff about their own experiences while I was working in the wellbeing hubs. I didn’t share with them what was happening to me, but talking to them helped to take my mind off things.

“Working during the pandemic, and having these conversations with colleagues around the Trust over a cup of tea or coffee, I really saw how much staff were coming together and being supportive of each other. I was surprised by the resilience staff showed during such a difficult time, but I was so proud of that and I’ll never forget it.

“I was so grateful to have such a good support system during such a difficult time, from my family, my church and my managers.

“My manager would send me lots of encouraging texts and my pastor would call me twice a day every day, and my husband’s colleagues reached out to me quite frequently too. I don’t think they realise how helpful those messages were during a time that was quite dark for me.

“I discovered how supportive the team I work in is, and that our managers and leaders really care about their staff. I was so moved by all the kindness that I received and that I saw others receive during this time.”