The graph says it all. As the third wave of Covid hit Ireland, it was all hands on deck. Projects had to take a back seat.

Now as we move through the Spring Equinox, it feels like the time has come to get back on the horse. People and projects have had a bit of time to mature and adapt to a new healthcare world of long term Covid. The tracking system I mentioned in my last post is in place. And I see at least a few green shoots of renewed interest amongst our registrars and some managers to improve ED-hospital systems (beyond Covid).

The unsaid risk however – the proverbial elephant in the room – is recognising the huge toll Covid has taken on healthcare staff who were already over stretched – even before the pandemic hit. An Emergency Department nurse from a near by county provides an unfortunately accurate first person account – that resonates across hospitals all over Ireland.

A delicate journey lies ahead. What Joan Halifax describes as an edge state – where the “five virtuous human qualities” of “altruism, empathy, integrity, respect and engagement” can either lead us to courage and freedom – or slide into a mire of destructive suffering …