So the 12 weeks are nearly finished... what next?

It has to be said that, at first, the prospect of spending 12 weeks at home was difficult to digest. What now? Why? What will I do? What about my professional identity? And so on.

I soon learned to find the positives and embrace the new normal. I had much more flexibility, could engage in other activities that I liked, could make various plans and lists.

Soon enough my professional life adjusted too. They gave me all I needed to see patients from home. It was amazing to see the rapid response of the NHS. My Trust gave me a new(!) laptop within days... I couldn't help but comparing this to 6 months prior when I had asked my line manager to sign a form requesting a laptop and a dictaphone. To allow me to do my clinic work remotely... on days off... Because at that point the only option I had was to go to work on days off and complete all the admin work or let it pile up during on call weeks and zero days. Her reply then had been: "I don't even have a laptop! What makes you think they'll give you one?!" And she was telling the truth, that was her experience.

It was amazing to see how much red tape had vanished during the pandemic.

Don't think I've lost all cynicism and forgot all about the lucrative deals that must have happened during this time. I haven't. Nonetheless, managers made things happen at the speed of light... let us all remember that such a thing is possible when there is a will.

So, what next? For the first time in nearly 3 months "vulnerable" people were allowed to step out of their homes, go see (a limited number of) other people.

How about resuming work? Is there any prospect of that happening soon? No. Not yet.

Nobody will take responsibility for that decision. Neither at national nor local level.

In fact schools were allowed to open for certain age groups provided the physical distancing and hygiene measures were being observed. But even that had been rejected. People are still very reluctant.

So the prospects of me returning to work anytime soon are slim.

Ambivalent is how I feel about that. A bit anxious too. I hadn't seen or looked after a seriously unwell child for a while. Can I still do it? Probably. Will I have the right reactions at the right time? Hopefully.