Katie Blake was one of Newham’s network of Covid-19 Health Champions. She explains how the experience has changed her life – and could affect millions of people in the future

Covid-19 provides us with an immense opportunity to learn about a unique situation in history that has impacted EVERYONE.

As a Champion, I asked questions, challenged decisions, made suggestions and observations.Something I did not bargain for was the fact that I made some brilliant acquaintances who turned into friends.

A really good thing about the process was the unique opportunity to have access to experts – and I’m talking about leading scientists, real experts in their fields. We were able to ask them questions and to challenge decisions. We always came away knowing more. We could then go on to help others with the confidence of knowing that it wasn’t spin or guesswork.

One thing that we could have done better was to have started a database of questions and answers earlier.

As these answers changed, then we should have developed a way to update the database so that the community had the very latest information. If we got things wrong or there were significant changes, we should have had a way of articulating the details to the community.

The weekly stats and figures were always helpful, together with the fantastic infographics, which were so clear and could be made available in different languages.

The introduction of British Sign Language Zoom sessions with subtitles and closed captions made the sessions accessible to our deaf and hard of hearing community. We even had positive comments from others who found the captions useful.

Going forward, British Sign Language needs to be incorporated into every Zoom session. The subtitles should be enabled by the host automatically. Someone might even develop a BOT (Robot) that signs on demand.

A range of things going on in the background that we were involved with included: health and wellbeing, foodbanks, conservation, identifying fly-tipping, illegal trading, radio development, local bookshops and deafness

We also used technology, such as Zoom, PowerPoint, subtitles, and closed captions. We developed and suggested ideas, such as putting tester kits in every library in the Borough, making them more accessible, putting up and taking down information posters; the Covid-19 outreach tables and buses were other suggestions.

We also volunteered at vaccination centres to assist with the role out of each vaccine programme. Eventually, we realised that we were missing certain vulnerable, isolated and young and older members of the community and tried to close the gaps.

The Champions are from a range of backgrounds and communities and this brought a real richness to the team.

Our vocabulary has changed. Pandemic, endemic, epidemiology, lateral flow tests, boosters, triple vaccinated, test and trace, are just some of the new words we now use every day.

Death through Covid-19 has bonded some people. We lost a Champion, not through Covid-19, but tragically, and we remember her as a smiling Grandma figure asking straightforward, down-to-earth questions, wearing a colourful selection of scarves and hats. R.I.P.

I introduced the Champions to my Green Couch Project and the need to talk to others and not to keep things in. There are things that we can control. Things we need to share.

As Champions, we talked about exploring our feelings about lockdown – anxious, nervous, low, afraid, panicked, angry, frustrated, hopeless, tired, conflicted, stressed, unprepared, reluctant, unmotivated, lonely, isolated, powerless, under pressure, conflicted, and excited were some of the words we heard the most.

We shared information that we had gathered and discussed it online, not always agreeing, but always with respect for differing opinions.

“Connect, be active, take notice, and keep learning” – these are things that the Covid-19 Champions did throughout our two years.

As the concept of Covid-19 Champions developed, other areas looked at our model and replicated it throughout the country. That is a legacy right there.

We need to move on as the pandemic changes to an epidemic and then to a new normal part of life. We all need to be conscious that it is still out there. Who still washes their hands for 30 seconds? Who is still careful on the buses and tubes and trains? Who still tests before going to a venue? Who still uses the sanitisers that cracked our skin?

What we need to do as a society is to take the experience and not just say “lessons have to be learned”. We need to build a template, flowcharts and critical analysis to identify what has happened and what we should do in the future. A “what if” scenario, just in case something similar comes our way again.

One thing I am sure of is that Newham will never be the same again. I will never be the same again. Let’s work together to make things better.

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