One man who will not be exactly putting his feet up this Christmas is plumber Lorcan McEneaney.
The Armagh native will be on-call all day, ensuring that any issues will be addressed quickly and it would not be the first time.
The 35-year-old will be hoping for a quiet phone this Christmas, unlike the one he experienced during the big freeze of 2010…
Have you worked Christmas day before?
“Yes, have been called out previously for example 10 years ago during the big freeze when there were lots of burst pipes and frozen water supplies”.
Obviously, Christmas Day is going to be very different for many of the patients, howare you going to keep spirits high this year?
“I’m on call so could be called out to units like Loane House, Mullinure or Gillis and will try to respond to any problems quickly – I might even wear my Santa beard under my mask!”
Describe how it has been working through the pandemic?
“It has been so busy, we just try to keep going and do our best to help services to keep running”
It what has been a difficult year, are there any positives which you have been able to take from it?
“Yes it has been difficult with many staff having to take time off to isolate. We all just pulled together as a team to keep our service running. Hopefully we are coming near to the end of it with the vaccine as a life line.”
How do you feel about the reaction from members of the public to the work you have done?
“There has been a lot of public support and I’ve been proud to work for the health service during this time.”
What are your plans for Christmas, how will you be celebrating this year?
“I have no big plans, just looking forward to my wee three year old son getting his presents and finishing on call to relax.”
