In the second episode of the podcast mini-series documenting the fight against COVID-19, I spoke with Diane Thompson - a Band 6 Physiotherapist working in the Southern Trust at Craigavon Area Hospital. Diane has been working on the frontline with COVID since March 2020 when a pandemic was called, impacting all our lives in such incredible and never-before-seen ways.

Diane takes us through how it has been for her and her colleagues facing this unknown virus, how it impacted her role within the Trust and the modifications needed to allow care to be given safely, her personal experiences seeing the devastating impact COVID has had to patients' and families first hand and how she has dealt with it all on a personal level, and importantly - what she looks forward to most when circumstances allow for it.

As I mention in the episode introduction, these are stories you won’t hear widespread across the TV or radio, and one of the reasons I wanted to record these episodes with Diane and others was to help in any way platform these people and the work they do. We all hear frontline staff or key workers and think of them as superheroes to have gone through what was such an unknown to us all pre-March 2020 - so what better way than to show them our respect, listen to how they have dealt with the last 12 months and be there as a helping hand and someone to talk to. If you know anyone who is frontline staff in your family or friends circle, reach out to them: ask them how they are and just listen. I'm so grateful I did so with Diane as I learned so much of her role and what has gone on over the last number of months.

Additional COVID-19: On the Frontline episodes will drop sporadically over the next couple of weeks, but for those not wanting to listen to COVID episodes, my usual interview episodes will re-commence on Monday 1st March with a fantastic guest who regales us with some brilliant stories. Thanks all, and look after yourselves.