Hospital employees join schoolchildren to reflect on COVID-19

Colleagues from Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust have spoken to local schoolchildren about what it has been like working in the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 20 pupils and staff from The Joseph Whitaker School, Rainworth, were joined by 90 children from local primary schools at the Covid reflection event on Monday 11 July.

The two-hour event featured talks by Claire Ward, Chair of the Board of Directors; Kim Kirk, Operations Lead for Hospital COVID Vaccination Hub; Donna Mariner, Associate Director of People (Resourcing) and Corinne Kitchen, Deputy People Wellbeing Lead. They shared their personal experiences of working within an acute hospital trust during the pandemic and reflected on the changes they
each made to ensure the trust continued to deliver its services
safely to patients, colleagues and visitors.

Teaching assistant Michele Roberts, who organised the event, said: “Putting together this event has humbled me to how our young people, as well as adults, have been affected by this global pandemic. Students have shared their testimonies and written poetry to reflect on their experiences, and many of them expressed total gratitude and respect for the sacrifices made by the devoted people in our NHS. We are eternally grateful.”

The event was attended by children from The Python Hill Academy and Heathlands, Lake View, and Blidworth Oaks primary schools. There was a performance by the school swing band and a tree was planted in honour of all those affected by the pandemic. The school plans to create a memory book using photographs captured at the event.

Corinne Kitchen, Deputy People Wellbeing Lead said: “I feel honoured to have been asked to come and talk about how our family at Sherwood Forest Hospitals learnt from Covid and how we have supported one another, making sure we look after our own wellbeing but also working as a team and showing compassion to others. Many thanks to all the staff and students at Joseph Whitaker School for your enthusiasm, great questions, and for inviting us to share our reflections on Covid.”

The trust is committed to strengthening relationships within the local community and in particular, to creating strong links with schools.

David Ainsworth, Director of Strategy and Partnerships, said: “This event has enabled the trust to come together with local children and reflect on the impact that the Covid pandemic has had on the NHS and local communities. It is important for the trust to attend events like this as it gives us the opportunity to share our learning with the future generation of NHS workers.”

The event, which was organised by the school, was funded by Blidworth and Rainworth Fight Against COVID-19 (BARFAC).