'It means so much': Community nurses of Leighton Buzzard grateful for public's morale-boosting support during pandemic

With applause now heard on the streets across the country every Thursday at 8pm as a small token of thanks from the public, those on the frontline wanted to use the LBO to convey their heart-felt message that such morale-boosting gestures are hugely appreciated.

A statement from Leighton Buzzard community nursing team manager Sarah Denmead, sent on behalf of her colleagues (listed at the foot of this article), said: "We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone in the community during this challenging and unprecedented time.

"The team have been touched by the outpouring of support for NHS staff from priority shopping time, homes displaying rainbows of support, donations of handmade visors for use and the weekly 'clap for carers'. This has all boosted moral within the team and the profession as a whole in a difficult and worrying time for all."

She added: "We would personally like to say thank you to all of our patients, their families and carers and also the care homes we support with care within day-to-day.

"Due to the current situation we have reduced our face-to-face contact to both protect staff and patients by reducing footfall into their homes and in the likelihood that our own staff team will reduce in numbers due to sickness.

"In order to do so we have asked for support to complete tasks we would usually pick up, such as asking patients, relatives or staff within care homes to undertake basic wound care or simple injections under our delegation and supervision, although initially people were understandably dubious this has now been wholly embraced. We could not do this without you. Thank you and stay safe."

Erika ReveszI, who works as a district nurse in Leighton Buzzard, originally approached the LBO about getting the team's message across, saying the team would love to have the opportunity to say thank you to the public "for showing their support and appreciation to us and to all key workers for what we do".

She said: "We all find it very emotional to see and experience that people make the effort to come out to clap and cheer for us. We are grateful for the weekly encouragement and all the kind words we receive when we are out and about visiting patients and generally doing our job.

"Also we would like to say thank you to all the people who keep our society running. It was nice to hear that the clapping on Thursday is no longer just in support of the NHS, but all the key workers.

"Undoubtedly the work and effort and the risk people put themselves through working in hospitals, emergency services and especially in intensive care units is much bigger than what most of us are exposed too. We have the greatest respect for those who work in hospitals. But it is good to know that now everybody else also officially receives recognition, and we would like to express our gratitude to all the key workers too."

The team message was on behalf of: Sarah Denmead (Team Lead), Deborah McMillan (Community Nursing Sister), Elaine Morris (Community Nursing Sister), Natalie Cossey (Community Nurse), Chiara Vettoretto (Community Nurse), Alison Brown (Community Nurse), Erika Revesz (Community Nurse), Catherine Clewes (Community Nurse), Grace Allen (Community Nurse), Emma McCashin (Assistant Practitioner), Ellen Mason (Assistant Practitioner), Sopheap Delbee-Keo (Health Care Assistant), Fiona Harkin (Community Nurse), Nobesuthu Mloshwa (Community Nurse) and Daniel (Community Nurse) who work for Bedfordshire Community Health Services - East London Foundation Trust.

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