After Covid... Reflections on what went well and what should continue

My colleague Frédérique Fardin @EcoFredly wrote a brilliant piece about her reflection on what helped her get through the current situation. This made me think about what will happen when this storm is over.

"1. Gratitude for those who are on the frontline, working hard for the many. Gratitude also for all positive things that are still part of our days, a (good) meal, a short walk outside, a chat with a friend, the option to keep studying.

2. Solidarity amongst peoples of various social backgrounds, ethnicities, and heritages, as the only way to go through this pandemic that can result in positive and sustainable changes. 

3. Hope… that we will see better days soon and learn from these difficult times, with a sense of togetherness, and maybe hugs".

I call the above, the GSH principle which I think can get you through any storm: Gratitude, Solidarity, and Hope.

In light of this, I'm now reflecting of the things I think were good practice in our current healthcare and those to be adopted in future post covid:

1. The free parking: I was always surprised by the fact that you have to pay to park your car at your place of work. This differs as some places have large parking spaces while others don't at all. Paying to park I think is an extreme. I hope free parking continues.

2. Everybody wearing scrubs: I love scrubs, not every body does. That way, I don't have to think about what to wear when I wake up in the morning or figure out which pants match the shirt I want to wear, etc. So much time saved! I don't have to launder it myself too. LOL! Someone once said scrubs scare patients... okay o.

3. The free hot drinks: This is a no brainer!

4. The relative ease to ask for help/professional advice without feeling judged or shouted at by a colleague: aka "making a referral" which often junior staff dread due to the response you get from colleagues in some disciplines. This infamous standard practice seemed to ease during the pandemic. No more "Why are you calling me?" Just be nice!

5. The power of collaborative research. Imagine within 3 months of a pandemic, the explosion of covid-19 related research, the speed of ethical/institutional approvals and the speed of peer-reviewed publications. You know how long you'd usually wait for any of these?

The downside perhaps is having studies/case reports with 10 participants and 100 authors... not bad imho.

6. Recognition of the role of foreign healthcare staff in the NHS by the people and the media. I leave this part to your imagination. Remember "Brexit"? Remember "Can I be seen by a white doctor"?

7. Attendance of online lectures/web seminars/clinic follow up/conferences from my bedroom. I used this for FiY1 lectures and they worked very well. Thumbs up to Zoom and Microsoft teams for taking advantage of this pandemic.

Things that should be mandatory:

1. All public buildings should have hand sanitizers at entry and exist, not just hospitals; as well as a picture of how to use them. With an audio prompt: "Please sanitize your hands entering and leaving the premises, Thank You".

2. Social distancing (aka my personal space) continues.