I’ve been meeting (virtually and socially distanced) with staff from different teams and with different perspectives about their experiences of COVID-19 and today I talked to staff from our disability network (a thread)1/13 
The pandemic has had a huge impact on #OurNHSPeople with disabilities. I’ve been reflecting on how traumatic this whole experience has been for everyone and I wanted to listen to their experiences – both of staff who are shielding / working at home 2/13
and others who've needed to make other dramatic adjustments to the work they work. I heard emotional and heartfelt accounts from the network about coming to terms with this challenging situation both personally & professionally. 3/13
Staff who put their heart and soul into working directly with patients face to face have found themselves separated from the therapeutic relationships they have formed with patients. 4/13
They talked openly about the guilt they felt for not being ‘in work’ and the loneliness and helplessness of not feeling part of the team. They highlighted the need to feel valuable and valued and able to contribute. 5/13
I also heard about the very practical problems that some staff have faced due to some of the new ways of working, including the additional concentration that’s needed for video conferencing, the frustrations of masks muffling voices and mask ties pulling off hearing aids. 6/13
It’s very important that we acknowledge this experience. We need to learn about what has helped, and what needs to change so that we can cherish all of the talents and skills in our workforce. 7/13
I heard great stories of clinicians working remotely with families to support them via the AttendAnywhere app. IT solutions provide lots of opportunities for engagement, @Starleaf chats have been a great way for everyone to keep in touch. 8/13
But we need to think together about how much more we can do to support homeworking staff to #Flourish. We need to consistently respond positively to requests to review reasonable adjustments, and to think critically about accessibility. 9/13
I know that the requirement for all NHS staff to wear masks is a real concern for the D/deaf community. Mental health is also a particular worry for me. The future is much more uncertain and we need to focus on adapting to the uncertainty. 10/13
Let’s make sure that every member of staff has easy access to the mental health resources we’ve provided, and keep reminding people of that so that they are accessible when they are needed.11/13
Finally, it strikes me that we still have more to do to give staff confidence in talking about their concerns. This has been a feature of conversations with our BAME network members as well. 12/13
Having open conversations at an early stage makes such a difference to helping understanding + resolving issues before they become problems. Talking honestly and openly is really important. Thank you to everyone who took the time to talk to me today. 13/13
