Paramedic couple say they have 'both been scared'

A paramedic couple who are home schooling five children say dealing with Covid-19 has been "very hard" but they are lucky to have each other.

Alison Moore and Tristram Brain, who both work for South Western Ambulance, said "juggling five children with work" had "quickly become the norm".

Ms Moore said: "It's very difficult to explain to people who aren't in the service the feelings you're feeling."

Mr Brain said they had "never prepared for this" and had "both been scared".

The couple, who have two boys and three girls aged between six and 13, both feature in a series of health worker diaries on BBC Radio Somerset.

Ms Moore said it was "overwhelming" trying to cope with taking a patient to hospital and knowing "they are highly unlikely to come home".

She said she has had to witness the "heartbreaking, final farewell with the family" and then drive away "leaving the family in bits".

"I've struggled with that massively and struggled with not being able to show any physical compassion," she said.

"You can't hug a relative when they've lost a loved one, and physical touch means so much at times like that, and that's something that we just can't do at the moment."

The couple, from Somerset, said the camaraderie between ambulance crews has been "unbelievable" and on "those bad days" they "pull you back up again".

But Ms Moore said nothing had prepared them "physically or mentally" to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

"There are days that are very, very hard but luckily we have each other and we both understand what each other is going through," she said.

"It's very difficult to explain to people who aren't in the service the feelings that you're feeling but thankfully we can bounce those emotions off each other."

Mr Brain said their five children are "pretty tough" but "there is definitely some anxiety there".

"They do go to school occasionally because they are able to but we try to keep that to an absolute minimum," he said.

"We've got a fairly rigorous decontamination regime when we finish work and come home.

"It's all about trying to keep them safe."

Covid 19: Life on the Front Line will be broadcast on BBC Radio Somerset on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday then available on BBC Sounds.