Hospital staff recall pandemic trauma in tree-planting ceremony

The “huge psychological impact” of the Covid-19 pandemic on healthcare workers was recalled when staff at St James’s Hospital in Dublin planted a tree in honour of those who died from coronavirus and their families.

The apple tree, symbolising good health and future happiness, was planted in the nurses’ garden within the grounds of the hospital.

The request for a memorial to those who died from Covid-19 came from the hospital's assistant director of nursing, Fiona Gray Lalor. Her husband Darren Lalor lost his father Peter to Covid-19.

Mr Lalor has written to every local authority in the country asking them to plant a tree in honour of those who died from Covid-19.

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"The ethos is to never forget to remember," said Ms Gray Lalor. "I am absolutely thrilled that we can go here to remember because we can't forget. Peter Lalor was a father to me over the last 12 years and not to be able to say goodbye to him kills me inside."

The tree was planted by the hospital's chief executive, Mary Day, and by Bernie Waterhouse, a clinical nurse manager at St James's. On December 29th, Ms Waterhouse became the first healthcare professional in the country to get vaccinated.

‘Psychological impact’

She described the tree planting as a “lovely thing to do. It’s a real recognition of the patients we have lost to Covid-19 and their families. We did not meet a lot of the families.”

The pandemic has had a “huge psychological impact” on staff working on Covid wards, she said, with many attending counselling as a result of what they witnessed.

“Many staff have a lot of anxieties as a result of working on a Covid ward. They saw horrendous things. One day we had six deaths and five patients go to ICU on that same day. Many of those patients on ICUs, we never saw them again.”

She suggested the proposed pandemic bonus to frontline healthcare workers was not the priority. Instead, they wanted better working conditions.

“The working environment in the Covid wards was absolutely terrible. The acuity of our patients was so high, we couldn’t physically provide the care that they deserved and required,” she said.

Fiona Power described conditions in January and February as "chaotic, the staffing numbers were far less than adequate for those who needed such care.

‘Emotionally exhausted’

“We were all very emotionally exhausted. There was fatigue every day, but you had to show up and come in.”

Catherine Denman said she had to spend Christmas day alone as she could not see her family for fear of infecting them.

“We had staff shortages because we had so many staff out with Covid,” she recalled.

“Death is not a new thing to us. We do death care on the ward. Unfortunately with Covid, they had to go into the body bags and we were the last people to see that person because once they leave the hospital, they will not come out of the body bags.

“ It’s a horrendous thing for me. That took more of mental toll for me than even the number of deaths.”

Sinead Nic Charthaigh said she had only been qualified for a year when she moved over to the Covid-19 ward. “It is definitely nothing any of us want to see again. I don’t think the staff could do it again.”