Having the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine will mean Superintendent MRI Radiographer Belinda Ling can get back to where she wants to be – on the frontline caring for patients.
Belinda has been running the new MRI scanner project at Ipswich Hospital during the pandemic so she could keep herself and her husband of 34 years, Chris, safe. He has been shielding since March after being identified as clinically extremely vulnerable.
Similar to other ESNEFT (East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust) colleagues in her position, being in a hospital environment every day has been a worry for Belinda. She feared that she could unintentionally take the virus home to Chris.
Belinda, who has worked at Ipswich Hospital for 35 years, said: “When you work in an area of the hospital, and you lead that area, you feel so responsible, so to be able to get back to it and know I won’t be putting my family at risk is amazing.”
Belinda was among the first group of ESNEFT staff to be given the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine when the Trust’s vaccination hub opened at Colchester Hospital last week. Since then more than 1,000 people have been vaccinated.
She said: “It’s just fantastic. I’m so grateful and privileged to have the vaccine and I’m thankful to ESNEFT for supporting me through the pandemic.
“The effort the staff are putting in here (at the vaccination hub) is above and beyond the call of duty.”
Once Belinda has had her booster injection towards the end of this month, she will soon be able to get back to doing the job she loves – supporting and caring for patients.
She added: “I’m not going to be putting my husband at risk and I can get back to the job with patients, which is what I love and what we’re here for.
“The Trust has been brilliant to the staff who are vulnerable themselves and have vulnerable family – my experience has been really great. I feel invested in.”
Superintendent MRI Radiographer Belinda Ling who had the first of two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine last week