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Today mention has been made of the potential for retired healthcare staff to volunteer for duty during the current Covid19 event.
Those recently retired and familiar with contemporary work place operating procedures will have the greatest amount to offer but those who are no longer au courant will also be able to contribute.
I retired from general practice in 2008 and am no longer registered, licensed or insured. Nonetheless I suspect I could contribute as a sort of ward orderly/porter with some additional clinical nous and could undertake some basic nursing duties. With a brief reorientation session I believe primary care triage would be within my abilities and, in extremis, I suspect more clinical work could be undertaken with an acceptable level of risk to the patients.
The greatest barrier I foresee is unfamiliarity with today's IT intensive hospital and GP environment.
Current medical and nursing staff are a precious resource and impossible to replace in the short term. There are, however, whole regiments of expendables who would return if given half a chance. I offer the suggestion that pay need not be a consideration either - an undertaking that surviving spouses and/or nominated 'significant others' could be granted a transfer of unabated pension rights for life instead would probably suffice.
Retired healthcare staff
Dear Editor
Today mention has been made of the potential for retired healthcare staff to volunteer for duty during the current Covid19 event.
Those recently retired and familiar with contemporary work place operating procedures will have the greatest amount to offer but those who are no longer au courant will also be able to contribute.
I retired from general practice in 2008 and am no longer registered, licensed or insured. Nonetheless I suspect I could contribute as a sort of ward orderly/porter with some additional clinical nous and could undertake some basic nursing duties. With a brief reorientation session I believe primary care triage would be within my abilities and, in extremis, I suspect more clinical work could be undertaken with an acceptable level of risk to the patients.
The greatest barrier I foresee is unfamiliarity with today's IT intensive hospital and GP environment.
Current medical and nursing staff are a precious resource and impossible to replace in the short term. There are, however, whole regiments of expendables who would return if given half a chance. I offer the suggestion that pay need not be a consideration either - an undertaking that surviving spouses and/or nominated 'significant others' could be granted a transfer of unabated pension rights for life instead would probably suffice.
Steve Ford
Competing interests: No competing interests