Wrexham’s MP gives personal account of her ‘return to the frontline’ at Maelor Hospital

Wrexham’s MP has spoken of her temporary return to nursing at the local hospital to help during the pandemic response.

Sarah Atherton, a former nurse, formally confirmed this week that she had undertaken shifts at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital as part of the call for former health care workers to return to the frontline during the pandemic.

Back in March Ms Atherton tweeted to announce “I’m going back” – a tweet that had nearly three hundred replies, and eight thousand likes.

More recently on June 24th Ms Atherton referred to her work in the hospital during Prime Minister Questions on a UK-wide approach on tackling the pandemic, prompting a reply from Prime Minister Johnson who said: “Can I first of all pay tribute to her for the shifts she has put in throughout the pandemic and of course to thank all of her colleagues at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital which I know and to say that is indeed the way in which we will beat the pandemic by working together across all four nations of our country.”

At the time we queried both the MP and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board regarding the work at the hospital, with many on social media doubting the reference made. The health board did not wish to comment, and we were told fuller details would be released by her office in the future as work was ongoing.

This week saw an insight published by the MP on her work, and we asked in light of the vocal social media commentary on that not being the case, why it was ignored until now rather than a public short confirmation with promise for full details at the end.

Ms Atherton told us: “Following my announcement to return I made the decision not to disclose any further information until I had returned full-time to my Parliamentary duties.

“Doing so would have jeopardised the nurse-patient therapeutic relationship, and would have been unfair on my patients.”

In the detailed information about her ‘return to the frontline’, she explains why she signed up to the ‘coronavirus temp register’ as a former district nurse, stating: “When the pandemic began I couldn’t in good conscience sit back and watch coronavirus devastate our community and let former colleagues take on that burden alone.

“I felt it only right to utilise my skills as a former nurse, to help the community I was elected to represent.”

Having completed her nurse training in the early 1990s, Ms Atherton said she was struck by how little had changed at the hospital, noting that she had a sense of “comfort and familiarity” when she walked through the doors for her shift.

“During my ‘back to floor’ training, and leading up to my first shift I was filled with anticipation,” she explained.

“My initial training felt like a lifetime ago, indeed it was whilst I was raising my, now adult, son. I couldn’t help but think about all the ways in which it might have changed since I completed my training in the early 1990’s.

“A few days before my first shift I went to pick up my all blue uniform, which was drastically different to the uniform I’d worn when I was last there, which now seems rather outdated. As I walked through the doors of Wrexham Maelor Hospital, where I did my initial nursing training, I was struck with a sense of comfort and familiarity.

“Despite the new lick of paint and the addition of head to toe PPE not much had changed.”

The personal account on her time back on a ward, included the work carried out with patients. She said: “On the COVID-19 recovery ward I was joined by a group of hardworking, resilient, and selfless doctors and nurses, some of whom had also answered the call to return to the frontline.

“You’ve all heard the expression, it’s like riding a bike. There were moments where I was transported back and I felt like I hadn’t left. Immediately I was back doing morning medication rounds and changing dressings.

“However, there was moments where I worried that patients on the ward would recognise me as their MP, jeopardising the nurse patient therapeutic relationship, in those moments I took further comfort from the fact we were in head to toe PPE.

“Once again, I have now left the Maelor and have returned full-time to my parliamentary duties, but when I walk past houses and shops with a rainbows proudly displayed in the windows, I think back to my colleagues still on the ward, fighting against this virus, and I am filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

“I am immensely proud to have played a small part and to have worked alongside some of the fantastic men and women at the Maelor, risking their lives to protect our community from this invisible killer.”

“The last few months have showcased our resilience as a nation, and I’d like to thank everyone across Wrexham and the whole of the UK for the part they played in defeating this virus. The crisis is by no means over, but I leave the Maelor and return to Westminster confident that we will overcome whatever obstacles come our way.”

We asked when her shifts started and ended, and with some early criticism of the process in Wales on the registration for the temporary registrar we asked how quick that process was through to activation.

We were told, “Sarah signed up to the coronavirus register in March. However, despite the initial delay caused by a change in registers in Wales, Sarah started her back to floor training at the beginning of May and was back in the hospital shortly after.

“Following her return, Sarah worked in the Maelor in-between carrying out her parliamentary and constituency duties. She completed her last shift in July.”

With concerns over future resurgence of the virus we enquired if there was any ongoing top up training, and if she remained on a reserve list.

Ms Atherton told us: “Prior to my first shift back I underwent an excellent and comprehensive ‘back to floor’ training programme.

“I remain on the nursing bank and ready to return should BCUHB need me in the future.”

There has been queries over the wage for the work, and the MP’s office said that any nursing salary received will be donated to Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

We also noted the timing of the release in a week where the House of Commons debated the Trade Bill, with Amendment 17 being voted down by 337 Conservative MPs. The Amendment contained the text that “…no provision of that international trade agreement in any way undermines or restricts the ability …. to provide a comprehensive publicly funded health service free at the point of delivery” et al. (Certain voting records articles are a sure fire hit on social media sharing, so much that even an Express article was lifted word for word ‘locally’ to get the clicks).

We asked Wrexham’s MP for a comment on that vote, the amendment, and reasons for voting how she did.

She said: “The Trade Bill is a continuity Bill, and cannot be used to implement new free trade agreement.

“The purpose of the Bill was simply to convert free trade agreements which the UK was a signatory to under our EU membership into bilateral agreements. In doing so keeping our existing arrangements with those third countries in place as we exit the transition period at the end of this year.

“New Clause 17, which people are referring to as the ‘NHS amendment’, deals with future free trade agreements and holds no place within the Trade Bill.”

“I will continue to respect the manifesto upon which I was elected, which made clear that the NHS, the price the NHS pays for drugs, and the services that the NHS provides will not be on the table in any free trade agreements to which the UK is involved in.”

For those keen to keep an eye on what their MP is up to on a more indepth basis – we recommend as ever the excellent TheyWorkForYou.com , as well as the CommonsVotes app on Apple App Store / Android.