Sam Ellis

ANP @ PICU Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool & NWTS (North West & North Wales Paediatric Transport Service). PCCS Council Nurse/AHP

[Sam Ellis @SamJEEllis]

This time last year I fell off a cliff & had to take 2 months off work - described as burnout.
It was a wake up call that I didn’t want to face or admit that it could happen to me.

Working in Paediatric Critical Care is tough, we see the most unimaginable pain that families go through but also share the joy of children’s recovery from critical illness & for that I’ve always felt privileged.

Burnout crept up on me, 25+ years of working in a highly stressful & fast paced area of the NHS where you hit the ground running every day is inevitably going to take its toll eventually.

I felt exhausted, unrested on my days off, difficulty staying asleep, intolerable of others & unable to think clearly or concentrate. The final straw came at the end of a busy 13 hour shift with the migraine from hell & I remember thinking ‘I’m done!’

Recovery was slow, I slept alot, felt sad every day & disbelief that I had ‘given in’.
Thank god I had the help from our amazing critical care psychologist’s who were able to unravel & analyse how I was feeling - a few home truths later & understanding the impact of working in such a difficult area can have on your own life, was a hard pill to swallow!

Time out & cutting myself off from work was the only way to start to get better, spending time with my family, going on long walks with the dogs & daily gym sessions without feeling guilty got easier.

Surprisingly over time many of my work friends & colleagues reached out & confirmed how they had felt close to burnout or who had burnt out but kept it to themselves.

So here I am 12 months later with a different outlook on life, different goals, less stress & feeling better both mentally & physically 😊

If any of this is recognisable - stop, take time out for yourself & your family, life is too short as many of us in the NHS know all too well ❤️

#burnout
#burnoutprevention
#burnoutrecovery
#PICU
#PCCS
#NHS

[Sam Ellis @SamJEEllis]

@Dr_BellaR Probably because they feel more comfortable with you, if you want to be addressed as Dr ‘’ then tell them!

[Sam Ellis @SamJEEllis]

@doctor_oxford I could never get my head around hospice care being funded by charity rather than NHS, it absolutely makes no sense. However for me it’s about quality of life & choice for those that face their own ending

[Dr Rachel Clarke @doctor_oxford]

Very few people realise that the vast majority of hospice and palliative care is provided by charity - not by the NHS.

I think this is a national scandal.

Please RT if you do too 🙏

[Sam Ellis @SamJEEllis]

Liverpool & @AlderHey Hosting the Paediatric Critical Care Society 24 conference, fantastic day 1 of 3 #PCCSworkshops @PICU_AHCH

[Sam Ellis @SamJEEllis]

@DrRJWebb Paeds ANP crit care but also pre hospital role with PCAS, happy to be involved

[Ramana Dhannapuneni @DrRamanaCardiac]

UK doctors to perform free heart surgeries for children at NIMS-Hyderabad #india ⁦@HLHcharity⁩ ⁦@BRSHarish⁩ https://t.co/iVdTRWln1n

[Sam Ellis @SamJEEllis]

@alisonleary1 Probably the same way the Paediatric Clinical assessment Service runs with Paed’s trainees/Consultants & Paed ANP’s, clinicians already with NHS jobs and work extra hours covering the service

[🏥 Alder Hey 💙 @AlderHey]

We are delighted to announce that construction work has started on a brand new, state-of-the-art cinema that will be based right here at Alder Hey! 🤩

[Sam Ellis @SamJEEllis]

Bookings now open for the PCCS 24 Liverpool Pre- Conference Workshops! Scan the QR code or click on the links below:

https://t.co/C6IoM24vjb

https://t.co/cr20d0OncS

https://t.co/K63uzsSGMQ

https://t.co/IlaaYPHD29

[Sam Ellis @SamJEEllis]

@ADigitalWitch @Matt_Bodell Omg completely agree! Trac is just horrendous!!

[Sam Ellis @SamJEEllis]

@deborahgoshko @moribunddr Well said! It’s called bed flow, can’t get patients in if you can’t get patients out - discharge’s are a priority!🙄

[Nature is Amazing ☘️ @AMAZlNGNATURE]

A baby chimp was born at The Sedgwick County Zoo, the baby had trouble getting oxygen so had to be kept at the vet. This is a clip of mom reuniting with her baby after almost 2 days apart.

[Sam Ellis @SamJEEllis]

@KatydearKate @PICU_AHCH @AlderHey @fghedteam Absolutely! 💯

[Joe brierley @brierl_jb]

Attacking a children’s hospital, just ghastly….please see & circulate our EAP statement @GOSH_PGME @PCCS_UK @ESPNIC_Society @UKLabour @RCPCHtweets

[Sam Ellis @SamJEEllis]

@RoshanaMN @parthaskar @OrthoWomen @BritOrthopaedic @doctor_oxford @LewisHamilton @deboraheastwood @DGlaucomflecken Congratulations! 🙌 👏👏

[Emma S @westwalesfinder]

@SkyNews This young man’s family also have no answers. A promising law student who simply vanished late one night in March. Please RT to raise awareness of him too.

[Sam Ellis @SamJEEllis]

@HolyCrossPEChor @holycrosschorl Well
Done girls! 👏👏