‘When we first went into Lockdown and we recruited a large number of staff, I think my parents were proud of me.’ Rebecca Duglan, is 21 years old and works as a recruitment officer at Yeovil Hospital, working harder than ever before to provide more HCA’s, Pharmacists, and oversees occupational therapists to help the country fight covid. This year marks her 1 year anniversary working at the hospital, and oh my what a horrible year it is.
It is easy to forget people, not in the spotlight. When the pandemic is over, we will remember the nurses, the doctors, and the cashier in TESCO’s working day and night to keep us safe. But we forget that the umbrella term ‘Keyworker’ falls on so many more careers and people than we realised.
Yesterday was the day Rebecca received her first vaccine jab, ‘I wanted to have the vaccination because I have a lot of friends and family that I would love to be able to see again as well as keeping my ‘at risk’ mother safe.’ There has been a lot of controversies worldwide about the vaccine but due to the volume of people Rebecca is in contact with every day it’s not an option not to take it, ‘With recruiting all the Healthcare Assistants for the hospital as well I see them all in person for documents and this can be a large number of applicants so it will also keep me safe.’
The public seems to think that the worst part of being a keyworker during the pandemic is the extra workload or working whilst everyone is on furlough making banana bread but Rebecca thinks differently, ‘I love working at this time I would be bored. However, I am jealous of people being able to sleep while on furlough’.
Because Rebecca works in such a high-risk environment, she has to be safe around her family and friends, ‘At first, my mum was worried due to having to medically shield. Even though we do not work in the main hospital building we still need to see candidates on a day-to-day basis and this can vary from the Healthcare Professionals to Admin and Clerical.’
Every workplace around the UK has had to take precautions and have rules in place to avoid catching and or spreading covid, with so many people coming and going in Rebecca’s workplace how does she keep those standards, ‘As an office, we have had to become Covid Secure, we have had to move apart and have a desk in-between us. We have to wear masks at all times when away from our desks and wipe down all regular use equipment after we have used this.’
Rebecca believes that the NHS has done an amazing job in making sure everyone feels heard and that support is given but would like to see some improvements, ‘I believe for all medical students they should have all the student loans paid for as they have been a key help during this pandemic. We have had a large number of students for example student Doctors, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, and Nurses’. The Government did have the NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme 2020, last year but it is yet to be reintroduced.
Rebecca is excited about the future and her career in recruitment and hopes that everyone stays safe throughout lockdown 3.0 and makes the most out of the new norm. ‘I think as Covid is still here and looks like it will be that way for a while, I am now just used to it.’
