Nurses Run 5K In Full PPE

Seven Critical Care Unit Nurses want to raise £5,000 to make patients' lives on the ward more comfortable, while highlighting how difficult working in full protective gear can be.

Critical Care Nurse Alissa Morvan came up with the idea of the charity run at Christmas time, when the Omicron wave was prevalent.

Alissa says all the nurses in the unit were wearing full PPE - consisting of a mask, face visor, hair net, Hazmat suit and three layers of gloves - for four hours at a time.

"We obviously wear a very tight fitting mask which, when you take it off, you are left with lines all over your face. I had a little pressure sore on my nose for a while which was very uncomfortable. After an hour or so it kind of becomes your skin, so you get used to it."

She says it was important for nurses to de-stress and take their mind off the uncomfortable clothing.

"Sometimes we need to find ways to entertain ourselves and that can be doing jumping jacks or whatever. We thought what else can we do in this? It's also a good way of raising awareness of the extent of the PPE that we have to wear when we're working in the Covid unit."

On Sunday (20 February) the group of Critical Care nurses will set off from Pembroke car park at 10.30am and run in full PPE along the main roads to finish in St Peter Port at the North Beach Car Park.

Nurse Addie Ferenc is one of the team and says running in winter makes sense.

"We've chosen to do the run in February for a reason, because obviously the masks are quite tight so you get quite hot in your face, so I can't envisage us running in summer, it would be impossible. 

Addie says she isn't daunted by the run.

"I'm really looking forward to it as I think we all like a bit of a challenge. We want to be visible, (in) the equipment that we use in order to care for our Covid positive patients. Of course it's about money, it's about helping our Covid patients a little bit, but also about being visible."

The money donated will be used buy a specialist chair that will allow the team to take long-term patients outside for some fresh air,  and also some specialist proning cushions which will provide extra comfort for patients.

The nurses have set up a Just Giving page and you can donate here.