Nurse who delivered the first Covid vaccination reflects on 75 years of the NHS
5 July 2023, 12:54
Nick Ferrari speaks to nurse who delivered the first Covid vaccination
NHS Nurse, May Parsons, told Nick Ferrari that on the 75th anniversary of the NHS she will be reflecting on the “greatness” of these years “serving our people” as well as “heartbreaking” times during the Covid years.
The nurse told Nick Ferrari at Breakfast about her role in the service today: “I will be part of the procession showing the George Cross award from the late Queen Elizabeth to 1500 NHS staff joining us at Westminster Abbey.”
Nick asked: “What will you be reflecting on? What will you be thinking of when you take part in that and indeed you go through the service later today?”
She responded: “I will be reflecting on the greatness of 75 years of the NHS and what we’ve committed ourselves to in delivering to our communities and the way that we’ve served our people, particularly in the last three years since the pandemic.”
Reflecting on the pandemic she said: “It’s one of those really difficult moments in anybody’s life where it is a balance between the risk to you and your desire to help the people and to for-fill the commitment you promised.
“What we’ve had in the pandemic is not just heartbreaking and devastating but also really scary.”
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Nick then said: “You are at the rank of modern matron at the University Hospital in Coventry - if you recall those times of Covid, the memories of the general public were probably fear and confusion but what were your memories at the sharp end?”
“It’s fear and confusion” she said, “But actually it's that I was able to deliver what I promised I would as a front-line nurse.”
She added: “The risk to my family was something that I had to bare for myself later on but my dedication to my work overrode how scared I was.”
Nick asked: “When you gave Ms. Keenan the jab were you at all nervous that she might faint, fall over or anything like that?”
“I wasn’t nervous for myself” she said, “I was nervous for the patient, obviously the patient is always our top priority.”
