COVID-19 By Captain Dave Fielding, BALPA member An airline lounge recreated in a hospital setting? Yes, please! Project Wingman Pilots are naturally very good at organising, and making things happen in real time according to a structure and a plan, drawing together lots of elements. We are really rubbish at sitting around and doing nothing. These were my thoughts as the COVID-19 shutdown loomed. A subsequent conversation suggested that hospitals might need such support, and more. It was anticipated that the pandemic would place a heavy burden on hospital staff, so after co-opting easyJets Captain Emma Henderson Project Wingman was born: a truly pan-industry response to the crisis, unaffiliated to any single airline or organisation. Project Wingman is the creation of a first-class lounge in hospitals, where uniformed flight and cabin crew do what they do best delivering first-class service to hospital staff as they come off shift or are on their breaks. At the time of writing (late April), 25 hospitals had a space staffed by uniformed airline crew offering tea, coffee and a chat. Wingman is wanted in a further 40 hospitals, and the list is growing daily. The number of volunteers now tops 4,000 crew. Airline crew are trained in human factors and how to communicate with colleagues who are in stressful situations. As fellow uniformed professionals, we understand what it is like to operate in a highly disciplined, regulated and pressured environment. In the first few days of a lounge being established, there is excitement and curiosity at something new. By week two or three, friendships are forming; the professionalism breeds trust, and real support is offered and accepted. Around 85% of human issues tend to be resolved by sharing them with a trusted listener that is one of the most obvious benefits of peer-to-peer support services, and the thinking behind this volunteer project. We understand what it is like to operate in a highly pressured environment Helping hand Some of the testimonials from hospital staff tell the wider story such as the medic who accepted a cup of tea from an empathetic cabin crew volunteer and, an hour later, had unloaded some of the stress and anxiety produced by their current role. They then chose to visit the hospitals mental wellbeing support services. Consultant leads noted that the lounge was encouraging staff to take proper breaks away from the wards. The benefits of informal, all-hospital networking is helping to smooth out the day-to-day irritations of a complex organisation. Our profession has something to offer. As the COVID-19 pandemic and the project have unfolded, there has, of course, been some really bad news for a number of the airlines whose staff members have been volunteering. What has impressed me beyond belief is the way that people, even after really shocking news, have put on their uniform and delivered that first-class service with a smile on their face. That, to me, is the definition of professionalism.