Life, Death and Biscuits: The inspiring diaries of a Critical Care nurse on the Covid front line

Firstly you need to know that I am a very emotional person. The sort who cries at Bambi and Lady and the Tramp. Having said that this true life account is having a profound effect on me. You read in the newspapers and heard on the TV the accounts of what it was like on the COVID wards but this really touched home. I am only 16% through the book and the tears are flowing. I'm hoping I can get through to the end but I have serious doubts. How whimpish am I. These amazing people lived this life for months and I am doubting my ability to read to the end. I will update later on this. This is without doubt a hard book to read because of the reality of the every day situation our amazing nurses and all other COVID involved staff had to live through. I hope we never have to battle another pandemic of any sort. I stood and clapped. I put my rainbow up. I thought I was truly appreciating what these people went through. How wrong I was. To say they were heroes doesn't do them justice. I can't find words that does. Read this book to truly understand their passion, commitment, dedication and selflessness. Bless you all and thankyou to Anthea, the author, for helping me understand.

One of the most amazing books I have ever read.The stories give you a good insight of how the days (and nights) went in the unit and what these amazing nurses went through during one of the most devastating times the world has faced.The stories are full of exciting and emotional moments.An amazing book to have and to remind us that there are people in this world that when everything is falling apart they will do everything possible to help.To all the Nurses, the staff in GICU and specially to Anthea Allen,thank you.Thank you for being so amazing.Thank you for being you.

Such an emotional read. So well written it keeps the reader engaged to the last page.I loved reading about Anthea's journey through her career. It gives a great understanding and insight as to why those who choose nursing do.The pandemic hit us all in so many ways. This book tells of the fight against covid19 on the front line. It also reminds us of how lucky we are to have the NHS and all the wonderful staff that work within it.I think everyone should read this book. It's such an important diary of a significant part in history. And maybe after reading it we might all remember to be a bit kinder to each other.

I feel like in reading this book I’ve not only had an enjoyable read but I’ve also learnt so much about the NHS and the wonderful people who work for it. The book was sad at times and funny in some places and is clearly written by somebody who really cares about their job and gives it their all. It got slightly repetitive which is why I’ve given it 4 stars, but that didn’t stop me reading all the way to the end as it was a lovely book written straight from the heart.

Allen had been a critical care nurse for 20 years and thought she had seen everything – including a case in which a driver who was not wearing a seat-belt was propelled through the windscreen and got himself impaled. But she was wrong Covid-19 was not just a case; not just an event. In this book which documents her life as a critical care nurse at St George’s University Hospital in the period March 2020 to July 2021. Doctors and even ventilators tend to get the news reports. Somehow, nurses have been overlooked. Yet they are the ones who set up and operate the ventilators. They see the faces of those whose lives depend on them, and the faces of their family members – many were not allowed to see their loved ones as they lay dying. One woman could only see her husband through the ward window as the nurses held up his hand so that he could wave to them. Not all the cases were Covid cases. One was about an 80-year-old woman who had her ankle tapped by a supermarket trolley. The woman who ran into her did not even know what had happened. But the old lady’s ankle soon developed a blood clot, and the wound became septic. Things spiralled downwards after that, resulting in her foot being amputated. We are left to marvel, admire, and feel for nurses at the frontline, especially in times of pandemics and war. What drives people to a profession like this? People like Anthea Allen, people with a sense of mission, loads of empathy, a strong constitution, and a few packets of biscuits on standby.

As someone lucky enough to work alongside Anthea in the ICU at St George Hospital, I can say her account of the pandemic on the frontline is a fair, honest and completely invaluable memoir of the hardships faced by everyone working in the NHS at that time. The acknowledgement and credit she gives to staff of all disciplines was generous and well earned, and she tells her stories with the boundless empathy I’ve seen her give patients countless times. I am so pleased that this information is out there so that people can understand what it was like for healthcare professionals. Her unfaltering approach of putting patient welfare at the front of everything she, and her nursing colleagues do, is an inspiration. Thank you for making the biscuits a reality, and for documenting this unbelievable experience. Everyone should read this book!