On the first Friday of December, coinciding with BandcampFriday, I released a new single The Nurse's Song with all proceeds going to Cavell Nurses' Trust supporting nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants experiencing personal or financial hardship. The appeal continues until Christmas Eve. Visit here to buy the track. Every penny counts- THANK YOU!
The Trust has seen a 175% rise in demand for its services since the start of the pandemic in the UK. Their work is urgent, in this of all moments.
The Nurse’s Song was inspired by a news story describing the profound compassion shown by a nurse to loved ones not allowed to be present at the bedside of a dying Covid19 patient. Nurses and frontline health staff are bearing the immense trauma associated with the covid19 pandemic on behalf of all of us, sometimes sacrificing their own lives in the process. This song is a tribute to their work.
The need for patient isolation has made the kind of situation described in the lyrics of The Nurse’s Song all too common. A recent survey of nearly 900 nurses by the charity Marie Curie UK found disturbing evidence of the personal cost to healthcare workers of treating covid19 patients, particularly given the patient isolation dimension. Giving distressing news to relatives over the phone and bearing the responsibility of a dying person’s final moments are tasks leaving a traumatic legacy for the profession. “I put the phone down and cried my heart out”, said one participant. “Not having the relatives with the patients during the time of death felt like a huge responsibility on nursing staff to get it absolutely right”, said another.
To find out more about Cavell Nurses' Trust, visit here.