Keswick’s district nurses are urging the town’s residents and would-be visitors to stay at home over the normally busy Easter bank holiday weekend to help protect local NHS services and frontline staff like them during the coronavirus crisis.
So far the team of district nurses based at Keswick’s Mary Hewetson Hospital has managed to keep a clean bill of health despite treating vulnerable, self-isolating patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic – and that is the way they want it to stay.
“We need to ensure we still get the message across about staying home with the bank holiday coming up,” said Yvonne Henderson, Keswick’s senior district nurse. “It certainly seems to be working in Keswick, with the district nurses all remaining well, which we hope continues,” she added.
In a personal message to the public, Sister Henderson said: “We hope you continue to remain well in these testing times and we ask that everyone continues to stay at home so that we continue to save lives and are able to offer our service to those that continue to need us.”
The district nurses have been working closely with local GPs to ensure no-one slips through the net and that those in need are still receiving adequate supplies of food, medicines and care. The team has welcomed practice nurse Sheila Hope from Castlehead Medical Centre, which has allowed her to work alongside them and help them during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Sister Henderson said: “With the different ways of working and everyone pulling together, we will get through this unprecedented time. Remember – today is one day closer to the end of COVID-19.”