As London hovers on the edge of a ‘Tier 3’ decision, Simone Richardson talks to Roxanne Burton, a Brixton resident on the frontline of the pandemic
Roxanne Burton has lived all her life in the Brixton family home in Myatt’s Fields. Her Jamaican grandparents were part of the Windrush Generation.
While her mother Yvonne has moved to Catford, her younger brother Kordelle, who is currently on furlough after completing his computer design studies course, is still there.
Roxanne trained as a nurse at the University of Hertfordshire and qualified at an emergency care centre in Outer London.
She has been working in primary care as a practice nurse in the Lambeth Walk group practice for almost six years, a job “I love doing,” she says.
“I have been working throughout the lockdowns.
“As in my role I have to see patients face to face, it was quite challenging at first.
“We were very low on PPE (personal protective equipment) and had limited stock.
“We often give out PPE to patients so that we can see them safely.
“The government announcement on when facemasks are compulsory has helped.
“However, we still have issues getting PPE, despite the government’s limited stock support which we get from time to time.’’
At the beginning of the pandemic, says Roxanne, “We had to limit patient contact due to limited knowledge of how Covid-19 is transmitted.
“I would often see a patient for just for an immunisation, but we would still have to clean our rooms between each patient.’’
Roxanne loves her home town. “No matter what time of the day, Brixton has life,” she says.
And life is something that we can all thank her and her NHS colleagues for.
