While I agree with colleagues that there are many non clinical parts of our job which shielding doctors are carrying out from home, I have been surprised at how much clinical work has been possible.
As a shielding consultant in palliative medicine I have continued to provide clinical advice to colleagues in hospital and primary care settings and to the teams of CNS with whom I work. I have worked with an experienced specialty doctor to manage an inpatient caseload with review by a consultant colleague on the rare occasion this has been necessary.
Our MDTs have moved online, I am contactable by phone, and with remote consulting have been able to review patients in the community from the safety of my home.
This is not unusual - I have given advice to GPs who are shielding regarding patients who are shielding, who have been seen via video consultation - with none of us being exposed to the risks of a face to face consultation.
Let us not be divided into frontline workers and those who have shielded. Instead, we are all colleagues who have done the best we can with the limitations placed upon us, all working extra hours to provide the best care we can for our patients.
Rapid Response:
Re: How can I make the most of my time shielding?
Dear Editor,
While I agree with colleagues that there are many non clinical parts of our job which shielding doctors are carrying out from home, I have been surprised at how much clinical work has been possible.
As a shielding consultant in palliative medicine I have continued to provide clinical advice to colleagues in hospital and primary care settings and to the teams of CNS with whom I work. I have worked with an experienced specialty doctor to manage an inpatient caseload with review by a consultant colleague on the rare occasion this has been necessary.
Our MDTs have moved online, I am contactable by phone, and with remote consulting have been able to review patients in the community from the safety of my home.
This is not unusual - I have given advice to GPs who are shielding regarding patients who are shielding, who have been seen via video consultation - with none of us being exposed to the risks of a face to face consultation.
Let us not be divided into frontline workers and those who have shielded. Instead, we are all colleagues who have done the best we can with the limitations placed upon us, all working extra hours to provide the best care we can for our patients.
Competing interests: No competing interests