Rising Respect or the Age of Performative Media:
Emergency workers: we come in every shape, size and colour imaginable. From those who fight fires, to those who combat diseases or loneliness. There is an incomprehensible number of emergency service titles, all of which have amalgamated their skill sets to tackle the impact of COVID-19. Firefighters qualified to administer vaccines, increasing vaccination numbers by over 27,000. Students of all healthcare disciplinaries took on roles as assistants to provide extra staffing on overcrowded ICU units, often isolating from family and friends in order to keep them safe. This is just to name a few; there are infinite examples of the adaptations, sacrifices and support the emergency services have provided during the pandemic.
Much of the information on COVID-19 can be overwhelming and shrouded by vague details. Coronaviruses are a type of virus; SARS-CoV-2 is the type of coronavirus identified in December of 2019 that causes respiratory distress. As the virus moves down deep into the respiratory tract, it can cause inflammation in the lungs which is why some patients experience shortness of breath, pneumonia or acute respiratory distress; they struggle to breathe properly or effectively. It is thought that it may have originated from an animal and mutated into a virus that could cause illness in people, however, this is still being researched. To find out more on symptoms, spread, and diagnosis advice, use the link below:
In the early stages, and peak, of the coronavirus pandemic I was working on a cardiac high dependency unit (CHDU) and intensive care unit (ICU). Even prior to the pandemic, these two wards were intense at best; patients constantly on the cusp of life and death, a continuous flow of post-surgical patients, and coding alarms rang intrusively and without apology. With the arrival of COVID-19, elective surgeries were cancelled, and the ICU ward was consumed by patient after patient. Each day began and ended in our pauper’s version of a hazmat suit, thanks to government funding, and day after day I watched patients battle against the fear and loneliness of being separated from their families. For several months, the outlook felt bleak, and most days I would come home sore, exhausted, and emotional.
It was hard pushed to find silver linings, so each successful home transfer or emergency save was celebrated as if we had single-handedly saved the entire world. Which is exactly what we were trying to do. I am so lucky to have found a family in the NHS, and I couldn’t have survived without all the wonderful maternal figures that supported me with homemade meals, elbow bumps and coffee.
A few months into the pandemic, after the lockdown occurred, several ‘measures’ were put into practice to ‘support’ emergency workers, the majority specific for healthcare staff. The government and individual services offered discounted meals, free coffee, the Thursday morale clap, and priority food shopping. While some days the ‘Clap for the NHS’ initiative felt like the only reason to get out of bed at 0500, it was laced with hypocrisy. What was rising respect for a burdened sector by some, allowed others to take advantage of genuine support for performative kudos. For political parties, this provided a distraction from unrelenting (and rightly so) criticism on the funding, pay rises and PPE concerns throughout the pandemic, and prior.
For public and government alike, these insubstantial actions deflect the accountability to fund a crumbling institution or support the actions to do so (i.e., petitions, political party support, education on NHS structural systems); this left the real problems to fall by the wayside. However, I would not go as far to diminish all the seemingly small acts of support as the thousands of paintings, letters and crocheted rainbows we received truly lifted spirits. There are acts of genuine kindness, and individuals who seek to educate themselves on supporting the survival of the NHS, and staff. For those people, thank you.
Even under my own family umbrella, some members would shift from videoing their NHS clap and posting on behalf of their ‘NHS hero’, to entering shops without a mask, refuting social distancing, and slamming the vaccine efforts. No matter how many ways I tried to explain the effectiveness of masks and distancing, or how little these actions affected day to day life weighed against their momentous safety purposes, it never quite got through. It infuriated me at best, and at worst? It dampened my spirits and for a while, invoked a hateful and dismissive attitude in me; it felt like all the hardship and exhaustion I witnessed my colleagues going through was for nothing. Fortunately, I’m lucky enough to have a partner and family unit that support me unequivocally and remind me each day that I deserve to feel cared for, to feel good about the work we do, and that it makes a difference. For that, I am grateful.
As lockdown hit, my partner, B, and I found ourselves without essential foods and good ol’ TP as our shift patterns didn’t allow for any scheduled visits to match up with superstore restocking days. When the shopping scheme came into effect, we thought it was a blessing. Little did we realise that survival of the fittest would quickly overtake any form of human compassion. In the few periods where I used my badge to enter as it was the only half hour I had between shifts and travel; I experienced a torrent of abuse. Never mind that I had worked four days of 12-hour nights in ICU or would spend the next 12 hours trying to keep patients alive, the public just saw a young woman who was ‘fit and healthy enough’ to be waiting in the queue. I was spat at, pushed into the street, and yelled at, all by the people that sit in their homes and clap every Thursday night for my colleagues and me.
It extends to an even greater evil.
My wonderful friend, who we will call Q, went grocery shopping with their young children and waited in the queue. Q is originally from Shenzhen, and proudly identifies with her Chinese heritage. Q, with her young child and baby, was pushed onto the ground by a man waiting in the queue, spat on, and racially targeted. Horrifyingly, and as many others have experienced, the pandemic has further ignited Britain’s xenophobic behaviours. She later left her post at the NHS, and left England. A wonderful nurse, a hard-working mother, a kind friend and most of all, a person. A person with every single human right as you or I, that this young man took upon himself to take away. As equals, nobody should have such a power to do so. This is an unaddressed problem by the British government and will likely remain so without public interference. If this is a topic you would like to hear more about or support, please see the link listed at the end of this post.
Despite the appreciated tokens of extra pay, they did not compensate for the blow of pay rise refusal from the conservative government, nor the glaring fact that pay in real terms has not kept in line with inflation. In March 2020, and in further appeals, conservative governments voted against the motion to increase pay by 1% for NHS staff and firefighters. This was justified by the claim that the government simply cannot afford to increase emergency services salaries. Despite this, over the last ten years MPs have received eight pay rises and now earn on average £81,900. All the while teachers’ pay has fallen by 10% and 7.4% for nurses; many emergency service workers and public sector positions will not earn more than £35,000 a year in their lifetime. With the rise of inflation, this leaves many vulnerable to the cutthroat financial struggles that come with an increasingly expensive survival. The public are calling for emergency sectors, especially healthcare, to receive a 15% pay rise. Linked at the end is a petition for change which is to be submitted to the government appeal process.
In the history of performative distractions, the government has utilised public power and token pay to effectively deflect from the real issues concerning liveable wages.
To call on the words of many staff, claps will not pay the bills.
As restrictions are lifted, almost entirely within the next month, I urge the public to find joy in all the small moments that seemed so mediocre or ordinary before. For many, this has been the most taxing year filled with loss and fear, we should be celebrating the leaps and bounds we are consistently making towards a safer world. While I understand the excitement is all-consuming, the pandemic is still a present issue and thousands of emergency workers are working tirelessly to keep the public safe. There is a way to celebrate the lifting of restrictions respectfully to not cause another spike in cases, making the efforts of the emergency services fruitless. Continue to be kind and generous to those working diligently, consider maintaining mask wearing and social distancing in certain spaces, and continue hygiene practices. On a final note, some people, due to their health, work, or familial situation, will continue to wear masks or observe social distancing. This is not a time to alienate others, respect their wishes and adopt more supportive roles.
I would like to dedicate a final paragraph to my wonderful family and partner, my heroic co-workers, and every single key worker out there. This is not just the doctors, nurses, and firefighters that we all think of, but the carers, students, healthcare assistants, housekeepers, chefs and cooks, teachers, special needs teaching assistants, community teams, and a thousand more that deserve just as much recognition. If you are reading this, and likely resonating with similarly charged emotions, I see you, and I understand you are probably worked to the bone, under-appreciated and under-served. Thank you for every piece of light you have offered this world, every piece of joy you have selflessly given to others, and every hand you have held, even on your worst day.
Even before the pandemic, each of these people have given themselves entirely to the public, under the unspoken oath of their profession. Try to remember that while your profession is noble and integral, you are at the centre of it. Surround yourself with a support system, find moments for self-care and headspace, and most of all, remember it is okay to say no. Something I often need reminding of, but it is okay and does not, in any way, diminish your superhero powers.
Adam Kay recently rebutted the government claim that the survival of the NHS was a miracle. Instead, Kay argued the incomparable devotion and efforts of frontline emergency workers were key to the survival of not just the NHS, but the public too.
I would like to echo his closing words.
But at what cost?
Find out more on how to support emergency workers by visiting:
This last link touches on a more personal note. My wonderful neighbours, Billy and his three-year-old son Noah, have been completing NHS miles dressed as kickass superheroes. Not only have they instilled joy and laughter in the local community but also raised hundreds for the NHS.
Check them out below:
Find out more on the effects of COVID-19 on xenophobia:
NHS pay petition:
Written by Chelsie Hadley
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