ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented socio-economic changes, ushering in a “new (ab)normal” way of living and human interaction. The water sector was not spared from the effects of the pandemic, a period in which the sector had to adapt rapidly and continue providing innovative water and sanitation solutions. This study unpacks and interrogates approaches, products, and services adopted by the water sector in response to the unprecedented lockdowns, heralding novel terrains, and fundamental paradigm shifts, both at the community and the workplace. The study highlights the wider societal perspective regarding the water and sanitation challenges that grappled society before, during, after, and beyond the pandemic. The premise is to provide plausible transitional pathways towards a new (ab)normal in adopting new models, as evidenced by the dismantling of the normal way of conducting business at the workplace and human interaction in an era inundated with social media, virtual communication, and disruptive technologies, which have transitioned absolutely everything into a virtual way of life. As such, the novel approaches have fast-tracked a transition into the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), with significant trade-offs to traditional business models and human interactions. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
ABSTRACT
As part of COVID 19 surge planning in March 2020 GOSH agreed to take paediatric patients from all the acute services in North Central London (UCLH Royal Free, Whittington, Barnet and North Middlesex Hospitals). The plan was to close paediatric wards to make space for Adult Patients. Major systemic changes took place in less than 3 weeks with excellent collaborative work between all relevant stakeholders. An acute mental health inpatient ward was set up and was staffed by child and adolescent psychiatrists, mental health nurses and paediatricians/paediatric nurses. This presentation will describe the process of setting up this pathway and the patients that were referred. We shall explore aspects that went well as well as challenges we faced and areas of difficulty. The impact of the pandemic on mental health presentations will be considered, particularly with respect to self-harm, trauma, family environment, safeguarding, eating disorders and neurodevelopmental presentations. Clinical examples will be given. We shall also consider the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of staff. Outcomes of the pathway will be reflected upon as well as plans for the future and preparations for a possible 'second wave'.