Merry Christmas
Dear member
As we approach Christmas and the New Year period we are entering one of the busiest times of the year for us working in either police custody or sexual offence examination. It can be easy to forget this is supposed to be a time of cheer and goodwill to all, considering the trauma and difficulties we see during this time at work. This year we are again compounded by the pandemic, but further so with the emergence of the Omicron variant which is causing disruption, uncertainty and high levels of staff absence. This combination makes it a hard time to be at work when we would like to be with our loved ones. We have talked a lot about the ‘why’ this year. Why we do, what we do in the way we do it, so be sure to remember why you offer kindness to complete strangers over this period, why you offer them a shoulder for them to unburden their woes at their worst imaginable time and why you remain the consummate professional to our patients and colleagues. It is hugely appreciated by those we interact with and give our time to. It is respected by our Police and other agency colleagues, and I hope it will give you the pride to know you are doing a brilliant job. If you make a difference to just one person you have achieved something to be proud of. You might see tens of patients over the holidays but your kindness and compassion might be the only thing they remember this Christmas. So that is why I will be giving my best this festive period. From all of us at UKAFNP thank you for supporting us in 2021, we look forward to another successful year in 2022, moving our forensic world forward as we have this year. Thank you for all the hard work you will put in over the next couple of weeks. Do stay safe and we will see you in 2022. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for all of you from all of us. Take care Jennie and the UKAFNP steering group