A doctor who helped lead Inverclyde’s local hospital through the Covid pandemic has praised medical teams and the community for their “resilience” as she reflected on the health crisis.
Dr Abby Gunn, a Consultant in Acute Medicine and Stroke, was at the frontline with colleagues when the first virus cases were detected ahead of the country going into lockdown.
She told of the “sense of impending doom” felt by medics due to the uncertainty surrounding the initial outbreak, with Inverclyde Royal Hospital (IRH) seeing some of the first confirmed cases in Scotland.
But she also revealed how teams used the period to make improvements to the way the hospital is run, including introducing new services for local people and boosting training for resident doctors.
And she highlighted the amazing team spirit at the IRH, with relationships strengthened across departments and staff working across all specialties redeployed from other areas to ensure appropriate support.
Before the pandemic, Dr Gunn, who became a Consultant in 2016, worked between the IRH and Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital but is now based solely in Inverclyde after becoming the lead there when the virus first arrived.
Speaking as the UK today marks a Covid Day of Reflection almost five years on from the start of the first lockdown, Dr Gunn said: “It feels surreal to look back on it, but I feel really proud of the hospital and my colleagues.
“There was a sense of impending doom because no one was quite sure how bad this was going to be. You had to plan for an unknown virus and an unknown event in the NHS.
“In terms of the colleagues who came through the pandemic with us, most are still here – and most are local to the hospital.
“I think that gives a good sense of their pride in the community, commitment to the job, and resilience too.
“They’ve been through something that nobody else in their generation has been through, to have looked after the local community and to have stayed at work.
“They haven’t burnt out, they haven’t stopped. ‘Keep calm and carry on’ is very much the Greenock method.”
She added: “At the height of things, and ever since, the relationships between each of the hospital’s different departments were really good – and still are.
“The whole hospital team would come together at meetings and you would say, ‘this is what needs done’, and everyone would pick it up immediately.
“It really streamlined a lot of our processes and strengthened relationships.
“I always say, one site, one team – and I think that’s why the IRH functions so well.”
Dr Gunn said the IRH began “filling up” around a fortnight before other hospitals in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and long before those in other areas of Scotland.
The mum-of-two said she and colleagues were able to reassure patients’ family members that their loved ones were not alone, and praised the “constant flow of support” shown by local people.
She said: “The support we got from the community was amazing. We were explaining difficult, dangerous circumstances to them and almost universally they were working with us.
“It shows the Greenock attitude of resilience and tolerance.”
Dr Gunn explained that IRH staff used the immediate recovery period to build new pathways for the hospital, with the vast majority of orthopaedic elective work now taking place there.
The Medical Assessment Unit has also introduced the at-home antibiotic service OPAT (Outpatient Parental Antibiotic Treatment) and a new day service for liver patients.
And, as a direct result of Quality Improvement work carried out during the Covid period, the IRH moved into the top 2 per cent of UK sites for medical training for resident doctors.
Reflecting on her personal experience, Dr Gunn said the worst part of working through the crisis was balancing having two young children at home, who were off school.
She said: “I was pretty much here all the time and my husband was looking after the kids.
“Every night I would change out of my scrubs and take them home in a plastic bag, to be put straight into the washing machine. It was quite scary.
But Dr Gunn said it was during that period that took the decision to base herself solely at the IRH, adding: “I’ve always liked my job, but now I really, really like working in Inverclyde.
“As a population to look after, they’re absolutely brilliant and they really care about the hospital. I feel like I’m adding value here.”