On the frontline: Meet the UHCW workers tackling coronavirus
“WE’RE used to death - death is part of life in intensive care - but not in the kind of numbers that we’re seeing, and that’s really quite hard to take,” says Tom Billyard, a consultant at University hospital in Coventry, as he reflects on the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In preparation for his latest 12-hour shift in ITU, where the worst affected patients are given life support, Billyard begins to don several layers of personal protective equipment (PPE) over his blue scrubs.
First a pair of latex gloves, then a surgical hat. Next a fulllength gown tied together at the rear, followed by an additional pair of latex gloves which are meticulously taped on to the sleeves for extra security. Finally, an FFP3 mask, which grips his face so tightly it will leave red marks across his cheeks, and a yellow-rimmed plastic visor to provide a secondary barrier against the disease.
“I feel trepidation,” he says softly, before entering. “There’s a load of patients in there and I don’t know if they’re going to survive this.”
Billyard is one of more than 9,000 employees at the hospital, all of whom - porters and nurses, cleaners and chaplains, consultants and volunteers - have a vital role to play in the treatment of patients and the functioning of the hospital.
Emily Jones, a senior sister in the emergency department (ED), works on the hospital’s frontline. “ED is usually quite noisy,” she says. “But that’s not the case now - you don’t see the patients immediately, until you look through the curtains, and then you realise quite how unwell they can be.
“We’ve had everything from patients who have self-presented at the door saying: ‘I’ve had a cough for a few days,’ to people who have walked up the stairs to get to the emergency department and can barely hold a sentence with you. We’re also getting crews bringing in patients of various ages who are struggling to get breaths while they’re on oxygen.”
“Wow,” Jones says, pausing at the severity of the symptoms she’s treating. “The acuity of our patients has gone up so much. They are so much sicker than we previously saw.”
A blizzard of healthcare staff whirls around her - some reading patient notes, others making telephone calls, washing hands, cleaning everything in sight and, heartbreakingly, placing a picture of a dove on to the door of one of the patients. “That’s to show they’re on the end-oflife care pathway,” a nurse explains. “It means we should give them peace.”
Jones is one of many NHS workers who are featured in the full photo essay on The Guardian website. Read the full story: www.theguardian. com/world/2020/apr/20/ nhs-frontline-meet-peoplerisking-lives-tackle-coronavirus
You can also read Jonny Weeks’ personal account of his visit to UHCW here: www. theguardian.com/world/ commentisfree/2020/apr/21/ photograph-hospital-icucovid-19-nhs-coventry