Duvet Musings: Working together is the way we will get through this crisis

Graham Moore on the staff roof terrace at Westfield Health

As I queued for my booster jab, I thought it would be easy to get weighed down both as a city and as individuals, coping with rampant inflation and the health unknowns looming this winter.

Then I looked around me seeing considerate and patient people queue and the operation run largely with volunteers coping efficiently with what seemed never ending lines of those attending.

That these fellow citizens were giving so generously of their time to help others made me think that surely we have the potential and resolve to cope with our worst peacetime crisis if we demonstrate the same resolve as our predecessors did responding to the privations of the two world wars.

Also, I reflected, it is embedded in our civic DNA, the qualities of innovation to bring stainless steel and football to the world and that we have the same qualities not to be cowed by the weight of external events making us fearful and anxious, to the extent that we are preoccupied by the health and our economy being of course inextricably linked.

A patient receives her Covid autumn booster jab at Firth Park Surgery, Sheffield. Vaccinations are underway across the city this week

There are grounds to be optimistic if we harness Sheffield's collective spirit displayed during the Blitz as we looked after those less fortunate than ourselves, as the scientists came up with life saving vaccines and our amazing self discipline enabled us to cope with the pandemic.

We have much to be thankful for in our city with two well respected universities, a NHS that showed it's worth during coronavirus and equally valued nationally, two well supported soccer teams and their Community Foundations doing so much to help the disadvantaged and private companies having world wide credibility.

We have so much professionalism and expertise in many sectors of our life but unfortunately many operate in silos, making me reflect that if there was a World Cup for silo working we would be in the semi-finals most years and even possibly win it.

The huge challenges facing us should act as a catalyst for positive change in our city where local politicians have to work more collaboratively than ever before under the committee system they have introduced.

Hopefully we can energise our great city that brought so much innovation to the world