A GLOBAL pandemic was the furthest thing from Gabrielle Hill’s mind when she took up a post at Birmingham’s Moseley Hall Hospital in September last year.
Originally from Mildura, the 26-year-old said she had planned to see Europe from her base in the UK, where she was working as a physiotherapist on the hospital’s traumatic brain injury ward.
“I got a two-year working visa, which started in August last year,” she said.
“I’ve tried to squeeze in as much travel as possible while here. I’ve been to Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia and Portugal since September.”
Ms Hill returned to Australia to visit family and friends in February, when the COVID-19 crisis was slowly starting to take hold.
She said it wasn’t until March 17, when she planned to return to the UK, that the seriousness of the situation started to hit home.
“A lot of people asked me whether I was going to return and I didn’t really think anything of it,” she said.
“On the way back, it was a whole different world of travel. Everybody was wearing masks, the flight was nearly empty and there was even a heat scanner at Singapore airport.
“It was the moment I realised that maybe this was bigger than I was anticipating.”
Back in the UK, fear was widespread as safety measures rapidly increased, to the point where hospital staff were fitted out with specialised PPE.
“Before I knew it, we had to wear PPE for 90 per cent of the day. We weren’t allowed to wear our clothes to work or home,” Ms Hill said.
“A lot of nurses stopped coming to work in fear of taking it home to their families. That’s when my job became more of a nursing one than physiotherapy.”
Ms Hill said the UK Government’s advice was not clear and because of this an end to the virus was still out of sight.
“We still aren’t allowed to see anyone outside our house and most shops remain closed with little guidance given on when this might lift,” she said.
“My greatest fear is something happening to one of my family members and I’m on the other side of the world with no way to get back.”
While it has been a terrifying experience for Ms Hill, she said her dedication and positivity had carried her through.
“These patients deserve the bet possible care they can have. It’s not fair they were in the hospital system at the time of such craziness,” she said.
“You just have to mask up and get on with it.”
Her advice to Australians is to heed government advice, even if it seems extreme.
“I think because Australia has kept the death toll down, it’s hard for them to see how bad it can be,” she said.
“The recent UK toll is over 32,000 deaths — that’s 32,000 families that have had to mourn the loss of a loved one.”
