From front line to battle planning: a nursing perspective of covid-19

The aim of this paper is to reflect upon the experiences of a senior nurse in a patient-facing role, who led a tea providing direct care to those with coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19). This would establish what those experiences meant to nurses during the initial outbreak to enable their coping mechanisms to face subsequent waves in the United Kingdom.

The worst infectious disease outbreak of a generation rapidly made its impact known to the medical profession and its support infrastructure across the globe. It imparted unprecedented challenges, not only for managing the care of the most critically ill but for minimising its spread and protecting the workforce.

Reflections of working on the covid-19 frontline during the initial stages of the pandemic, the challenges faced, and lessons learned enabled the development of a strategy to better support nurses in the ongoing pandemic.

Visible, invested and consistent leadership was key in forming a strong foundation to support clear communication, peer support and increasing confidence. Consequently, strong bonds were forged to enable the team to face further challenges as they felt 'in it together'.

The experiences described in this paper are those of a senior nurse leader within a particular care context. However, the lessons learned are likely to resonate with many nurses who are facing the same challenges in very similar care contexts and who are urged to reflect upon their own experiences. Furthermore, the associated lessons may help support others and inform their strategy for coping throughout potential future admission surges of this pandemic.