The UK’s applause for the NHS every Thursday evening at 8pm has created heartening scenes across the country, amidst the gloom of lockdown. This week, Christ Church is asking all of its members, past and present, wherever they are, to think in particular of Christ Church alumni, medical students and staff associated with the NHS when they join the #ClapForOurCarers.
Several NHS workers are living in Christ Church accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many NHS staff are being redeployed to support acute medicine and intensive care at this time, with full-time clinical researchers also stepping in to support NHS services, and Christ Church has been able to help by housing a number of them.
Dr Evan Edmond, a Christ Church alumnus, is working at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford while his normal research on patients with motor neurone disease (MND) is paused. He is now working full-time in acute medicine, neurology and stroke. This involves caring for people with neurological conditions who are vulnerable to COVID-19, and also those newly diagnosed with neurological conditions with concurrent COVID-19 infection.
Dr Bronwyn Gavine trained and worked as a doctor in South Africa where she gained experience in critical care and resource-constrained environments. She is using her experience at the Oxford Simulation, Training and Research (OxSTaR) Department to train healthcare workers redeployed to intensive care, and newly graduated medical students working on the wards. This training covers the safe use of personal protective equipment, resuscitation, and airway management. Bronwyn is also helping to rapidly update and disseminate clinical guidelines at this challenging time for the NHS.
Christ Church’s Senior Censor, Professor Geraldine Johnson, said: “We are enormously grateful for the expertise and dedication of Evan, Bronwyn and everyone working in the NHS. We are also very pleased to able to provide housing for them and other NHS staff in Christ Church during their redeployment.”
#ChristChurchTogether #ClapForOurCarers #ThankYouNHS
