A former midwife, who is also a registered nurse, is back on the frontline after coming out of retirement to support her colleagues at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I couldn’t bear to watch this unfold and not try to do my bit,” said Sarah Gregson who retired in 2017 after 40 years’ service with the NHS – the last 14 of which she spent with the Trust working as a Consultant Midwife.

Since retiring Sarah has carried out some project work for the Trust’s Maternity Services and worked on projects for the Royal College of Midwifery in a voluntary capacity in Bangladesh and India. Although she did not intend to return to clinical work, Sarah decided she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing whilst the current situation unfolded, so she put herself forward for bank work to support the front line workforce.

Sarah said: “So far I’ve done three shifts back on maternity. I also attended the Trust’s Nurse Clinical Update training session last week in case I am deployed to nursing again. It is a scary prospect coming back to clinical work after so long, but my amazing colleagues and the Trust have been incredibly welcoming and supportive.

“There are huge pressures on the NHS across the country at the moment. What I know for sure though is that those who are pregnant or sick need our care and compassion more than ever in these difficult times and that is ultimately why I have come back.”

Sarah isn’t alone in returning to the frontline. MTW NHS Trust’s workforce is set to be boosted over the coming weeks thanks to a number of nurses, Medical Laboratory Assistants, therapists and doctors returning to the trust.

In addition more than 320 people have also applied to join the Trust’s bank team to provide skilled resources in clerical and administrative and clinical frontline roles.

She added: “It is great that others are coming back to the Trust to work but whilst the government is urging former medical staff to return to work we must remember it is not appropriate for everyone to come back.

“Many of my retired colleagues already play a vital role in caring for vulnerable relatives and friends or have moved on to other essential roles.  Some have underlying health conditions. Ultimately each of us has to work out what part we should play in all of this.”