Scarborough Hospital to hold week of reflection to mark the loss of the first patient to Covid-19; the public are invited to join two-minute silence

Staff at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust will be invited to look ‘behind the mask’ and take time out to reflect on the effect of Covid-19 on their working and personal lives.

Hospital Chaplain, Louise Grosberg, said: “For staff, patients and relatives Covid-19 has been a rollercoaster of emotions, but unlike a fairground ride it has been unremitting and at times felt as if it is never ending.

“Emotional exhaustion and the pain of loss is being felt throughout the Trust. While we have a whole range of wellbeing initiatives to support staff, the week of reflection has been organised to help people acknowledge how they feel.

"Their courage getting up each day and keeping going, combined with the anxiety for their own family during this time, has affected everyone, from the most senior to the most junior of staff.”

During the week the Trust will be offering staff extra team support and drop-in psychological wellbeing sessions, and are hosting a reflective art exhibition in the hospital corridors.

Members of the public are invited to join staff at the Trust for a two-minute silence which will be held outside the North entrance (the old entrance) of Scarborough Hospital on Tuesday 30 June at 1pm.

That location allows for social distancing, and visitors can join by coming up the Scalby Road entrance.

There will also be a service of reflection conducted by the chaplaincy team available online for anyone to view with a link on the Trust website on the Chaplaincy page.

Louise added: “We hope the online service of reflection will help anyone who needs a bit of support at the moment or just the acknowledgment of their loss or suffering.

"The Covid pandemic has severely affected our usual rituals such as funerals and memorials and this can leave people with a huge sense of loss.

"We would like to bring people together to reflect on what we have all been through in the last three months and to help people find a way forward.”

The week of reflection culminates in the 72nd anniversary of the NHS on 5 July when the Trust will be saying their thank you to the public.

You can follow the week of reflection activities on the Trust’s social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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