Stepping onto my ward at 7pm on 2 July last year, I was ready for my night shift.
After a normal day, I’d made dinner for my husband Arshad, 39, and our three children Namra, 19, Adam, 16, and Ismail, 13, before dashing out of the door.
An NHS support worker for Heath Lane Hospital in West Bromwich, I worked on the psychiatric intensive care ward, supporting a number of male patients with severe mental health problems.
I’d worked in the NHS for 18 years, alongside my sister Areema, 36. We’d worked with each other until Areema tragically passed away from Covid in 2020.
The grief had been horrendous, taking a huge toll on my mental health.
But the support I received was incredible – it saved my life. And…
