CCU nurses run 5k in full PPE
PERSONAL protective equipment came in handy at the end of a group of nurses’ 5K run yesterday as they were sprayed with Prosecco to celebrate their achievement.
The group had run from Pembroke car park to the Liberation monument in an effort to raise £5,000 to make patients’ lives on the ward more comfortable, while highlighting how difficult working in full protective gear can be.
The run was the brainchild of senior staff nurse Alissa Morvan who said she had come up with the idea at Christmas to boost motivation, and her colleagues were keen to support her.
‘The idea was to boost motivation because we were all in a slump over Christmas. Most of us run normally and everyone I approached said they’d do it with me,’ she said.
‘Everything in PPE is difficult, but this was very warm and sweaty.’
She was delighted at the support that the runners received during the event, with cars hooting their horns and many people turning out to cheer the nurses on from driveways.
The runners wore full-body coveralls as well as rubber gloves, hairnets, masks and visors.
CCU team leader Aggie Ferenc said the visor and mask were the biggest problems.
‘The visor flapped in the wind and the masks made it difficult to breathe,’ she said.
‘My visor was steamed up all the way so I couldn’t see anything, but the main task for us was just to run wearing a mask. Almost all of us are runners, but we wanted to stick out a bit by wearing PPE rather than our usual kit. We enjoy a challenge.’
Her colleague Kristy Le Prevost was one of the two staff members who were working nights: ‘I’m always up for a challenge,’ she said.
‘I said “yes” then looked at my shifts and thought “Oh”. Normally I do 8K in the gym no problem, but this was another level.’
Most of the runners reached the Liberation Monument in about 33 minutes, with the last ones home being walkers who nonetheless managed the distance in about 40 minutes.
Late yesterday afternoon the nurses edged past their £5,000 fundraising target.
n To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/criticalcareunit-guernsey.
