Table 2.

Phrases and wording associated with themes

Theme	Participant key phrases/words
Flexible nursing workforce	more willing to work; felt very motivated to help during the pandemic; willing to do anything that was needed; willing to work; keen to go; happy to work; glad to help out; willing to do my bit; happy to work wherever needed; felt a sense of duty; the right thing to do
Staff mental health	I was scared; very scared; unhappy to move to a COVID-19 ward; I didn’t enjoy it; I was terrified; became very anxious; less willing to work; I felt like I was going into battle; felt incredibly stressed by redeployment; running on adrenaline; my head isn’t in a good place; staff told not to discuss their anxiety with colleagues.
Structured, uniform and employee centred communication	Lack of information: Initial plan communication unclearly; plans not communicated to me I found out through gossip; no communication at all; communication of plans were nearly non-existent. Style of communication: I had no say in my redeployment; I was told, no discussion; non-negotiable; did not ask us if we minded; just expected we would do it; I wanted a say in where I would go; very autocratic. Short notice redeployment: [I was] told 1 day and sent the next; notified the day before; informed of redeployment the same day; told the night before; during handover I was told I was moving; I needed more time.
Visible and structured leadership interventions	Confusion about role of line manager while redeployed: Very little support from management; lack of support from line manager; abandoned by line manager; poor communication from line manager; line manager was really supportive; line manager has open door policy which I appreciated; approachable line manager. Lack of support from Senior Nursing Team: disrespect from Matrons and higher up; very little support from management; the hospital never acknowledged the stress and anxiety of staff; feel totally let down by management; neglected; ignored; the senior nursing management team had no idea what was happening and hid and should be ashamed of themselves; my line manager was great, but the upper nursing team from him were noticeable by their absence; what were Band 8s doing?
Career development and professional fulfillment	I have the guts to do bank shifts now; I think it was a unique experience that we will talk about for many years to come; a very positive element of this pandemic is the relationships that have been forged with ward staff; feeling of being able to achieve something and at the same time happy that I was able to rise up to the challenge; this was an opportunity that I was grateful I was able to experience; we made a very good and supportive Covid team; I am able to support my current manager and staff with my knowledge about any Covid issues; coming together with other staff from both the hospital and university was a unique opportunity; we learned so much from each other; we all supported each other