“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, plenty of babies are still being born”
The midwifery team at The Royal London Hospital understand there is a correlation between positive staff wellbeing and being able to practice excellent patient care.
Like many departments across the trust, the maternity team are still as busy as ever. Alison Herron, Associate Director of Midwifery and Nursing said: “Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, plenty of babies are still being born”.
The team have been busy promoting their service on social media and highlighting the activities they are doing to stay active and lift staff morale during this difficult time. The team have all pulled together to create uplifting videos for their followers to view and join the fun. Alison explained: “Julie and Susie were the creative force behind the dancing and fitness videos that I tweeted over the weekend”. Many maternity teams across the UK have also been joining in and creating videos of a similar style.
Susie Crowe, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist was happy to share where the fitness idea originated from. She said: “A group of us were talking about managing stress and maintaining good mental health. We were discussing how many of us do that normally by going to the gym. Although we can do online exercise classes at home, not everyone has equipment or weights. Staff also missed exercising with other people”.
Susie decided to try and create a gym at work, using a space that is currently free due to the changes from Coronavirus. All of the equipment has been lent to the maternity team from local people, such as personal trainers and Pilates instructors. Susie explained: “I put the idea out on social media and lots of them have now offered us free access to their online classes too”.
The maternity staff gym and dance and fitness routines have been well received by staff and Susie said: “People have loved it; they feel it is great for bonding and helping them unwind after a busy day”.
Keep your eyes peeled for more uplifting maternity team videos and photos that will be shared across social media in the coming weeks!