Marjorie, Marcus, Abdul and Charlie

Marjorie, Marcus, Abdul and Charlie Residents of north central London

Marjorie lives with ill health and was advised to shield. She sees her GP frequently and has always struggled to get to appointments. Even though she couldn’t visit in person, she was able to contact her GP by phone and video, which worked well for her. With the support of volunteers and her council she stayed safe at home. She continued to worry about family members who used the bus and went to the shops.

Her GP, Marcus, saw his work change rapidly. He carried out appointments on the phone and some over video, and many patients liked this. Working together with other GPs a central clinic was set up where they could also see patients in person. Routine care, such as blood tests, had to be delayed. This caused anxiety for some.

Abdul lives with his family and is waiting for surgery – but this has been postponed. His hospital doctors looked after coronavirus patients instead of operating. He doesn’t have a new date yet; he just knows that the waiting lists are longer. His daughter and grand-daughter both had virus symptoms. While they self-isolated, volunteers delivered essential provisions and brought his regular medication from the chemist.

Charlie lives with anxiety and depression – which became much worse during the pandemic. Appointments with her therapist continued as online group sessions and this really helped, but she’s looking forward to real-life contact with her therapist in the future – and also to seeing her family again.

Marjorie, Marcus, Abdul and Charlie are fictional characters, developed by North London Partners, but based on the real-life stories of local residents. Watch their stories in our short film.