How NHS became more important than ever on frontline of battle against virus
OUR hospitals have been the face of the pandemic’s impact on society, the frankly undeniable proof of the effect of Covid-19 on our population, young and old, frail and strong.
When Covid peaked in our communities, much of which was and still is unseen by many due to lockdown and enforced isolation, our hospitals bore the brunt of the virus.
Early in the pandemic, and from the first lockdown on March 23, our hospitals were not home to a huge number of Covid-19 patients and isolation and testing procedures were nowhere near as rigorous or available.
There were cavernous shortfalls in personal protective equipment such as visors, face masks, aprons and gloves. Face masks on hospital sites also were not mandatory.
Staff and leadership braced for the worst, but the worst, as many have testified and experienced, was beyond the imaginable.
Nurses, doctors, porters, cleaning staff, receptionists and pharmacists, among many more, went beyond their duties, working overtime, returning from retirement and from other organisations to help prop up our local NHS services.
Officials at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust launched huge intensive care unit expansion plans to provide enough specialist facilities for those requiring ventilation and oxygen support.
On April 8, just over two weeks into lockdown, the trust experienced the highest number of Covid deaths it has clocked to date - 25 lives lost to the virus within 24 hours.
Health and social care staff have also been among the fallen, with their sacrifices to support our loved ones, placing themselves in the line of fire for our benefit including those who did not believe in the virus. A debt which cannot be repaid.
Staff have spoken of how the deaths of their own colleagues are among the moments which shook them to their cores and have continued to represent the harshest realities of the pandemic.
Our hospitals have, in the past year, treated thousands of Covid-19 patients, peaking at more than 700 at one time in January. Medics have made clear that for a dozen patients to be in a large hospital with the same illness at the same time is extremely rare.
Comparisons to flu have been repeatedly and overwhelmingly rejected with hospitals rarely treating a single flu patient in a year.
Despite this, our hospitals have faced protests by Covid-deniers, who have also abused intensive care staff at Royal Derby Hospital as they finish gruelling shifts.
Thousands of patients have been discharged from our hospitals after being treated for the virus. Many will need long-term support for long-Covid and other ailments as a result of the virus’ impact. The rate at which people are discharged has improved on a huge scale as the pandemic progressed, with new treatments researched and rolled out. After wave one, one in three patients admitted with Covid, died. Now that is at one in four. Despite discharge and treatment success and the heroic efforts of staff, our hospitals have seen hundreds of patients with Covid in intensive care and thousands have died, totalling 1,637 at Derby and Burton’s hospitals and 4,120 at Chesterfield Royal, as of March 22.
Meanwhile, through the peak of the first wave, patients were being discharged from our hospitals to care homes without being tested for Covid19, due to national government guidance at the time. At Derby and Burton’s hospitals this totalled nearly 380 patients between March 1 and April 15 alongside more than 80 from Chesterfield Royal. What followed was a series of outbreaks in care homes leading to numerous deaths.
Gavin Boyle, chief executive of the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our staff have seen first-hand the impact Covid-19 has had on more than 6,000 members of our communities and on their wider friends and family. This has been very difficult at times but due to the dedication and professionalism of our staff, and advances in treatments, many thousands of people have returned to their loved ones.
“Our people have truly been exceptional over these past 12 months and I’m proud of everyone connected to our trust.
“We haven’t done this alone. The impact of Covid-19 has been felt right across health and social care, and our wider partners.
“Those working in social care, primary care, local authorities, emergency services and the voluntary sector have all played a vital role in providing care to those with Covid19 and supporting their families.
“There is still a long road ahead. Whether we will see another wave or the emergence of new variants that significantly change how we contain the virus remains to be seen.
“But the vast amount of learning and partnership working over the past year, including the successful rollout of the vaccine across the NHS, allows us to look to the future with some confidence.
“It is our people, and those they work with, who are our greatest asset in the fight against Covid-19.
“No matter what direction the pandemic takes, we know that our communities can rely on them to provide the care they need across Derbyshire, Staffordshire and beyond.”
It is our people, and those they work with, who are our greatest asset in the fight against Covid-19. Gavin Boyle