Voices that speak to joy and devastation

While it is always a pleasure and a privilege to attend an exhibition and immerse in arts and culture, this exhibition was focused on the healthcare workers' experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic: while my interest was piqued, I prepared myself for the heaviness that this topic was likely to bring. However, these immersive stories from the frontline – steeped in courage, gratitude and of course, fortitude – were told with brutal honesty that made for an incredibly moving experience.

In January 2021, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) museum collated and recorded RCP members and other healthcare professionals' experiences of working during the pandemic. Respondents consisted of over 20 medical specialties and professions, across grades and levels of experience, all speaking to personal and professional impact.

The result is a compendium of voices that speak to the joy as much as the devastation. 
Exhibiting on half of the mezzanine floor of the museum, a stone's throw from Regent's Park, the space itself perhaps undermined the gravity and richness of the exhibition. Notwithstanding this, it was well-paced and populated, with a multitude of exhibits in different media, including many physical objects and paraphernalia as well as voices and handwritten notes.

The first and most captivating exhibit time travelled (albeit through someone else's eyes) to life before Covid-19, where it was 'business was as usual' for the RCP. On display were the RCP President's Newsletters, pulled together in a heavy tome from October 2018 to September 2022. Moving page by page, the dawn of Covid-19 could be witnessed in 'real-time', from no mention at all (who can even recall what that was like?) to speculation that it would be no great concern, to the fully-fledged commitment to a 'long haul'.

A fascinating read, offering the opportunity to gain insight into the steady mobilisation of leaders in the medical field, sharing science as it emerged, and sharing developments in treatments and services.

The exhibition paraphernalia included first batches of the vaccine, team tea towels, war-like gas masks, scrubs with name badges sewn in or drawn on, handwritten diaries and a colourful crochet coronavirus. What is not immediately obvious at first glance is how these items represent the processing of the traumas faced during the pandemic.

Look deeper and it is an act of reclaiming, of triumph over adversity; these items recognise and celebrate the teamwork that carried people through the hard times, the badges that represent bridged connections with fearful patients, the woollen coronavirus ball that was used as a punchbag after a hard day.  

The photographs in the exhibition were arguably the most striking. All taken by healthcare worker colleagues due to the restrictions imposed, you would be forgiven for thinking that there was a professional photographer on set. You will have seen similar before, but the rawness of emotion in the faces of doctors and nurses was jarring yet mesmerising. Particularly those that conveyed the brutality of ill-fitting PPE after 24-hour shifts, faces bruised and battered, wet with emotion; doctors having fallen asleep through deep exhaustion, still sat bolt upright in meetings.

The 'red runners' also draw attention: non-patient facing staff who volunteered during the pandemic, walking hundreds of miles wearing bright red t-shirts to deliver items of equipment, supplies, tests and lunches, playing a vital part in the coming together that kept the NHS services running.

Partway through the pandemic, the RCP developed wellness materials for their members, including a film of healthcare workers talking about what they did to let off steam and find meaning while facing the challenges of their clinical work. It was a difficult watch, purely because it was clear so much of the pandemic was to come: so many lives would be lost, and so much more brutal pressure would be placed on these optimistic champions of exercise and connection in difficult times.

Verbal accounts of the experience of working during the pandemic, accessed through voice notes and headphones, revealed deep connections and special relationships – the patient that made an impression, the time that they stepped away and missed final moments, the crushing retelling of final farewells through iPads. A painful listen, cushioned by the genuine heartfelt compassion and care taken in the telling.

What this exhibition does so very well is to offer the human perspective from inside the NHS during the pandemic. There is research which documents the mental health impact, the moral distress, the losses and the extreme working conditions, but the narrative here encompasses the devastation and tragedy alongside the joy, generosity of spirit, relentless courage and compassion.

In the context of the longer-lasting effects of the pandemic on the NHS and those who work within it, this exhibition is a testament to the fortitude and the gift that is our healthcare workers. They risked their lives and their wellbeing relentlessly, to deliver the absolute best care available while continuing to honour individual lives amongst the many lost. 

Reviewed by Dr Jo Daniels, University of Bath.

'Fortitude: Healthcare workers' experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic' runs until 24 May 2024.