Pandemic’s toll on health staff

HEALTH bosses say the coronavirus pandemic has clearly “taken its toll” on NHS workers in Nottinghamshire’s hospitals after another 100 people died as a result of the virus in the past week.

Amanda Sullivan, accountable officer for the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), spoke during a public health briefing about the impact the pandemic has had on healthcare workers.

She said they had coped very well, considering the UK has already experienced a number of significant waves of Covid-19, particularly the most recent month of January.

Ms Sullivan revealed there had been a further 100 deaths related to Covid in the seven days to February 3 across all hospitals in the county, emphasising it was a “very significant number and every one of those deaths is a tragedy for that family.”

“People are holding up remarkably well and the level at which people have been flexible in their roles,” she said.

“People have moved between departments and whole wards have changed their functions.

“People have seen some very traumatic events, it is very difficult when people are very ill and out of touch with their families. Staff are tired and coping remarkably well. “But it has taken its toll.” More positively Ms Sullivan said hospital admissions had decreased in the most recent week, marking the first decline in many weeks.

There were 342 admissions in the seven days to January 31, compared to 467 in the previous week. In total there were 668 people in hospitals as of February 2, more favourable than the 749 on January 26.