LIFE, DEATH AND BISCUITS

With over 30 years' experience as a nurse, Anthea Allan thought she had seen it all, but with Covid came the greatest trial, personally and professionally, of her life. Thrust hourly into life and death challenges while on the critical care unit of St George's hospital in South London, Anthea processed her shocking experiences through writing. It started with an email to request biscuits, but her appeal to help boost morale of her fellow nurses soon turned into a series of astonishingly moving stories, detailing the realities of being a frontline worker. Soon her accounts were circulating far and wide, capturing the attention of the nation and being feted by the likes of Richard Branson and Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid. "Not many doctors know how to programme a ventilator. It doesn't matter how many ventilators there are, critical care nurses are required to operate them. We don't have enough critical care nurses." These are deeply personal, moving stories with all the names changed to protect identities and privacy. Colour photographs include rainbow cakes, holding the hands of a patient delivering end of life compassion, her co-workers wearing their scrubbers' caps and a picture with her own daughter on St George's helipad. Anthea's book is a testimony to love, resilience and the human spirit. Includes colour photographs, 328 pages.