Rhonda Reddington's film - Alternative version

Rhonda Reddington, HIV Specialist Midwife at Newham University Hospital, filmed in artist's studio in October 2020.

Rhonda Reddington describes how the crisis unfolded, beginning with early news from China and Italy and the uncertainty around how serious the virus would become. She recounts her first encounters with COVID 19 patients in the hospital, including a case of a woman in her 50s being intubated, which made her realise the virus was not limited to the elderly only.

Rhonda Reddington describes significant changes to maternity care during the crises: reduced face to face appointments, virtual consultations, restrictions on partners attending scans or early labour, and the loneliness and emotional difficulty this caused for pregnant women, especially those facing bad news or long labours alone. For some vulnerable women, remote care made it harder to identify issues like mental health concerns or domestic violence. She reflects on the fear many patients had of attending hospital, sometimes delaying essential care. She recalls the case of a woman whose baby required an emergency caesarean after the mother initially delayed seeking care due to fear of infection.

Rhonda Reddington speaks of her discomfort with the public “Clap for Carers,” feeling she was contributing less than ICU staff, and of the widespread vulnerability she observed in her community. She questions aspects of the government’s response, such as delays in implementing travel restrictions and shortages of PPE, while recognising the complexity of responding to a rapidly evolving and largely unknown pandemic.

Keywords: Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Midwifery; Preparedness, Covid testing, PPE

1 video file and 2 document files 82.4 GB (82395293633 bytes)

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