LOCKDOWN meant all change for medical staff in Glasgow's rehabilitation hospital - and learning new skills.

At Lightburn Hospital staff and patients become "like family" and the pandemic made this dynamic an even stronger one.

With essential services only on the premises, members of the team stepped in to provide haircuts for patients and teach digital skills.

But the lockdown also made it even harder when long term patients passed away.

Gillian Ormiston, a Senior Charge Nurse at the Carntyne hospital, said: “Our patients become part of the family and all the staff feel the same.

“During the pandemic, the closest relatives could get to see their loved ones was a visit through the windows – and that’s hard if you don’t quite understand why they can’t come into the ward.

"It was tough – especially when you are losing someone after you have cared for them for so long.

"But it was also a privilege to be able to look after someone at that stage of their journey, when they’re not going to be here any longer, and get their family in, albeit in their PPE, and do what we could to bring some comfort.”

Lightburn Hospital provides rehabilitation and support for its patients, working to get people home or into another care setting.

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Normally the facility would have hairdressers and barbers in to keep patients looking and feeling their best, but that had to stop during the restrictions.

Gillian said that members of the team stepped up, putting hair in curlers and giving a bit of a trim to help keep spirits up.

They also taught everyone how to do video calls.

Pam McGillivary, a Specialist Occupational Therapist, said: "The role of the OT is to find out what patients were able to do before they came into hospital by asking patients or their families and hopefully get them back to being able to do that.

"That can be everything from getting out of bed to washing and dressing or simply being able to make a cup of tea."

This involves close collaborative working between OT, physio and families.

Lynn Donaghey, a Specialist Physiotherapist, said that she sometimes sings songs with patients as they work through their exercises, or pop on a playlist of their favourite music to help with the movements.

She added: “My role is to get people as independent as they can with their functions and how they can manage in their own homes.

"We find out what their goals are and what they want to achieve.

“We try to manage people’s expectations and we bring families in so that they can see what their family member can do in the gym, especially to support.”

All of the staff are delighted that families can return to the hospital and hope that group activities, such as eating together, and the occasional singer coming in to do a turn, will get back as soon as restrictions are further lifted.

Having loved ones involved in some of the rehab work is crucial to a successful discharge.

Lynn added: “It’s our goal to get them back on their feet and back to their families.

"When that happens it’s a good day.”