What challenges did the healthcare assistant face while working on the respiratory ward during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The healthcare assistant faced challenges such as a lack of proper personal protective equipment (PPE), being left alone with multiple critically ill COVID-19 patients, and experiencing racial discrimination in work assignments. She was often assigned to COVID-19 patients disproportionately and felt unsupported by management, which led to trauma and stress.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare assistant encountered significant challenges while working on the respiratory ward. She was initially provided with inadequate PPE, only having access to gloves, aprons, and surgical masks, which increased her risk of infection. Despite being a bank staff member, she was redeployed to a respiratory ward where she was not informed beforehand that most patients had COVID-19. This lack of communication and preparation added to her stress and fear. On the ward, she was left alone to care for multiple patients who required one-to-one attention, which was overwhelming and led to a traumatic experience when one patient died under her care. Additionally, she observed racial discrimination, noting that Black staff were more frequently assigned to COVID-19 patients, and she felt unsupported by her white colleagues and management. This situation contributed to her feelings of frustration, anger, and helplessness, exacerbating the moral injury she experienced during the pandemic.