This week a new Banksy painting appeared in Southampton General Hospital.

Its shows a boy discarding his traditional superhero toys in favour of a new hero - an NHS nurse.

To me this simple image really does say a thousand words. For the first time ever, nurses are being given the recognition that they have always deserved.

What was once seen as a lowly profession that consisted of inserting cannulas and cleaning up various bodily fluids, is now one of the most respected and appreciated professions of modern times.

Nurses have taken on this virus like no others. The bravery, passion and selflessness they have shown is phenomenal. It is little wonder they are hailed the modern day superheroes.

"We deal with death, but not like this, no family allowed, for one last kiss." This is an extract from a poem written by Sarah Pirie, a nurse on the front line.

She describes the pain of listening to a family say their final goodbyes on the phone, of standing with patients who are dying alone and how she will always remember their names.

Nurses are and always have been underpaid and unappreciated. They are now the first line of defence between us and this invisible killer.

They put themselves on the line for us and our loved ones every single day without complaint. It is time that are rewarded, not with applause, but with fair pay and the status that they deserve.

Coronavirus, although devastating and destructive has given us a most valuable gift. The ability to step back and re-evaluate our society along side our own personal preconceptions.

The old saying goes once you hit rock bottom the only way is up, this is what I hope coronavirus will be for us.

I hope that we have hit rock bottom and I hope that when we start to rebuild we prioritise the nurses and other care workers that we have taken for granted all these years.

It should start with fair pay and reasonable working hours and it should continue as a conversation about the kind of world we want to leave behind for our children.

We have an opportunity to rise from the ashes more thoughtful, more accepting, less selfish and better than ever.

Lets not let the lives that have been lost be in vain.