Year 10 pupil Ryan Bentley’s dedicated voluntary work at his father’s NHS GP practice over the last two years is paying dividends in the current health crisis.
Ryan, who has spent every Friday afternoon after school and much of his holidays working in the administration department, has now become a key player in the practice in Golders Green, and is even training new staff.
His proud father, John Bentley, who is a GP Principal, said patients cannot believe how young he is, as he displays maturity and leadership qualities well beyond his 14 years: “We think Ryan may be the youngest official NHS worker at this time.”
Staff at the surgery, The Practice @ 188, have commented on how invaluable his contribution has been, said Dr Bentley. “He has been working diligently and conscientiously since lockdown. After completing his schoolwork, he gives nearly every minute of his time to the practice, to help us continue functioning and providing essential healthcare services to the public.”
Ryan’s role includes regularly communicating with NHS organisations to try to source personal protective equipment (PPE). He also updates the clinicians at the practice as to the latest published guidance on the management of suspected coronavirus cases. He helps to arrange staff rotas and is constantly answering phone-calls from worried and anxious patients, some of whom are obviously unwell and exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus, requiring either simple reassurance or directing to the appropriate medical services.
Ryan has found that the nature of his duties has changed since the advent of Covid-19. “Many patients no longer come into the surgery, so the number of online encounters has increased. Lots of emails are coming through daily, which need to be looked at and then matched with hospitals or other health departments.
“I have always enjoyed working here; before this crisis, it was about meeting a wide range of people and learning about their different backgrounds and how that can affect health. The biggest challenge now is that I cannot always help people. They may have a problem, but cannot get an appointment for a very long time – even though they are suffering. Sometimes there is just nothing we can do to help them.”
Dr Bentley’s GP practice has become even busier as they witness dozens of their patients, particularly from the surrounding care homes, suffering and dying from Covid-19.
“The outbreak has dramatically changed our NHS working environment,” says Dr Bentley. “Many of our own staff have either been off sick or are self-isolating. To make matters even more challenging our Practice Manager went off on maternity leave just before the Covid-19 outbreak. Ryan has demonstrated a very mature approach to his work here. He is carrying out all his duties with the utmost enthusiasm, passion and diligence – qualities very much in keeping with the ethos QE instils in its pupils.
“All staff at the practice have commented on what remarkable leadership qualities he possesses and have quipped that he is needed here permanently, as he is proving to be an asset to all who work here or use our services. Another nearby practice implied they wanted to use his skills, and he has recently been invited to participate in the local NHS managers forum, due to his significant role at the practice,” added Dr Bentley.
Both the podcast and the account – about Samuel Pepys and the Great Plague of 1665 – are part of an extensive selection of content curated by Head of Library Services Surya Bowyer for boys to access during the pandemic lockdown.
Mr Bowyer adds: “One coping strategy when we face a crisis like Covid-19 is to document our experiences in some way. More than 350 years ago, that was exactly what Samuel Pepys, a young civil servant living in London, did in his diary when the capital was hit by the Great Plague in 1665 – the worst epidemic in England since the Black Death of 1348. His reaction, and that of his fellow Londoners, is set out in our Pepys and the plague page.”
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“When the sirens went during school hours, we left the classroom and sat in the corridors with our backs to the walls for our lessons. There was a small air-raid shelter on the old Gun Field, but it was always full of water and never used during my time. There were no after-school activities; when the bell went, we had to head for home in hope of making it before the next air raid.”
Many of these new facilities will continue to benefit students well after the current lockdown. Our 
Keon Robert, of Year 7, said: “Obviously it is not quite like school, but I am handling it well. The workload is manageable, but I am missing the company of my friends and classmates.”
Keon’s Year 7 peer, Edward Muscat, has earned himself a mention in his local newspaper, the Islington Gazette. He and his parents, along with six other neighbouring families have raised more than £3,000 by running 85 blocks around their homes in a relay marathon, being careful to observe social distancing and, in Edward’s case, wearing a mask. The money raised will go to NHS Charities Together.
Music, especially the Virtual Orchestra and Choir, has figured significantly in the lockdown life of third Year 7 boy, Leo Sellis. “I especially enjoyed the Virtual Orchestra because I love making music, especially the pieces we are performing, and I cannot wait to hear the outcome.