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Regulator sorry for manager’s ‘five years of hell’

Regulators have apologised to a health manager who went through “five years of hell” while being investigated for misconduct, before being told there was no case to answer.

Debbie Moore was a senior manager at the former Liverpool Community Health Trust, where there was a major care scandal in the early 2010s.

As head of healthcare at HMP Liverpool, where many of the most serious failings were identified, Ms Moore was suspended in 2014 and referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council. She was accused of multiple failures to take action or escalate concerns, of failing to investigate deaths, and discouraging staff from reporting incidents. 

However, in a first public interview about her experience, she told HSJ she was “scapegoated” for the problems at the prison, where she says she worked tirelessly to address the issues and had repeatedly flagged concerns to the LCH management team.

External inquiries have found the trust would routinely downgrade risks escalated by divisional managers, as it sought to make drastic cost savings in pursuit of foundation trust status.

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Source: HSJ, 30 November 2020

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Eleven patients suffered harm after ambulance handover delays

Eleven patients have suffered harm after being kept waiting in ambulances outside accident and emergency departments, a review has found. 

South East Coast Ambulance (SECamb) Service Foundation Trust launched the review after a specific incident at Medway Foundation Trust on Monday 16 November. Although details of the incident have not been released, HSJ has been told one patient waited for nine hours before being seen in the trust’s A&E department that day.

The review covered all long waits across SECAmb’s area over the last few weeks. Out of 120 cases examined, 11 patients were found to have suffered some degree of harm, SECAmb’s executive director of nursing and quality Bethan Eaton-Haskins told Kent’s health overview and scrutiny committee last week. However, the trust has not revealed which hospitals were involved. 

Ms Eaton-Haskins said the ambulance trust was “struggling significantly” with handovers and expecting the recent pressure experienced at Medway FT to affect the county’s other hospitals soon. However, she indicated some other trusts in Surrey and Sussex had also had long delays.

Ambulance services have been concerned for some time that handover delays could pose significant problems this winter. They are thought to have contributed to the North West Ambulance Service Trust declaring a major incident earlier this month. HSJ has also been told of waits of several hours in other ambulance trusts.

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Source: HSJ, 1 December 2020

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London hospital maternity unit criticised by regulator after mother’s death

The safety of maternity services at a major north London hospital has been criticised by the care watchdog after an inspection prompted by the death of a woman.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued the Royal Free Hospital, in Hampstead with a warning notice after inspectors identified serious safety failings in its maternity unit.

An unannounced inspection of the hospital’s maternity service took place in October, following the death of Malyun Karama, in February this year.

The 34-year-old died while giving birth to her stillborn baby. She suffered a ruptured uterus after being given an overdose of misoprostol to induce her labour.

In a report following an inquest into her death Coroner Mary Hassell said: “Abnormal observations were relayed by a midwife to a senior registrar, but the doctor failed to attend Ms Karama and instead ordered fluids. The uterine rupture would have been life threatening whatever the care rendered to Ms Karama, but if the doctor had attended immediately and had reviewed and treated appropriately, the likelihood is that Ms Karama’s life would have been saved.”

The CQC has yet to publish a full report on its inspection of the hospital but confirmed it had taken enforcement action and issued the trust with a warning notice.

The concerns relate to the trust being too slow to investigate and make changes after incidents of harm. It’s understood a panel to investigate Ms Karama’s death did not meet until June this year.

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Source: The Independent, 1 December 2020

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COVID-19: Lung damage 'identified' in study

COVID-19 could be causing lung abnormalities still detectable more than three months after patients are infected, researchers suggest.

A study of 10 patients at Oxford University used a novel scanning technique to identify damage not picked up by conventional scans. 

It uses a gas called xenon during MRI scans to create images of lung damage. Lung experts said a test that could spot long-term damage would make a huge difference to Covid patients. The xenon technique sees patients inhale the gas during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

Prof Fergus Gleeson, who is leading the work, tried out his scanning technique on 10 patients aged between 19 and 69.

Eight of them had persistent shortness of breath and tiredness three months after being ill with coronavirus, even though none of them had been admitted to intensive care or required ventilation, and conventional scans had found no problems in their lungs.

The scans showed signs of lung damage - by highlighting areas where air is not flowing easily into the blood - in the eight who reported breathlessness.

The results have prompted Prof Gleeson to plan a trial of up to 100 people to see if the same is true of people who had not been admitted to hospital and had not suffered from such serious symptoms. He is planning to work with GPs to scan people who have tested positive for COVID-19 across a range of age groups.

The aim is to discover whether lung damage occurs and if so whether it is permanent, or resolves over time.

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Source: BBC News, 1 December 2020

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NHS workforce ‘could not cope’ with third wave

The government has admitted the NHS in England does not have enough nurses and doctors to keep all its services running if there is a third spike in coronavirus cases as leaked figures show the number of staff off work because of the virus rising.

An analysis of the impact of coronavirus, released by Downing Street on Monday, warned that even with a 6% growth in NHS staff since August 2019 and extra funding “there is a trade-off between the NHS’s ability to deliver COVID-19 and non-Covid-19 care in the event that COVID-19 hospitalisations rise”.

It also warned of the psychological effects on staff saying: “It would be expected that higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) would be seen amongst health and social care staff.”

New leaked NHS data for England on Monday shows more than 82,000 NHS staff are absent from work with more than two-fifths, 42 per cent, linked to coronavirus either due to sickness or because they need to self-isolate.

This includes almost 27,000 nurses and 4,000 doctors absent from NHS wards.

Hospital leaders reiterated the strain the NHS was under in a briefing to MPs ahead of the vote on local tier restrictions today.

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Source: The Independent, 1 December 2020

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Nearly half of trusts report no BAME staff in top management tier, HSJ investigation reveals

Nearly 100 trusts have no ‘very senior managers’ (VSM) who are declared to be from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background, HSJ analysis has revealed.

According to data obtained from every NHS provider in England, 96 out of 214 (45%) did not have any VSMs declared as being from a BAME background.

This includes several large providers, such as The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust — where around 9 per cent of the workforce and 15 per cent of the city’s population are BAME — and Liverpool University Hospitals FT.

Jon Restell, chief executive of the Managers in Partnership trade union, said the underrepresentation of BAME staff in leadership positions has “dangerously damaged” the NHS’ response to coronavirus, labelling it the “ultimate wake-up call”.

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Source: HSJ, 30 November 2020

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Cumbria hospitals must take 'rapid' action on patient safety

Two hospitals in Cumbria must take "rapid" action "to keep people safe", the health watchdog has announced.

There had been "escalating" concerns about Carlisle's Cumberland Infirmary and the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said.

North Cumbria Integrated Care (NCIC) has been issued with a warning.

The trust, which was already rated as requiring improvement, admitted the pace of change had been "too slow". The warning notice requires the organisation "to take action to minimise the risk of patients being exposed to harm".

During checks in August and September, inspectors found:

  • Emergency department patients "were not always receiving timely and appropriate" treatment
  • Significant delays in admitting people to wards
  • "Insufficient numbers" of qualified, competent and experienced staff

Professor Ted Baker, chief inspector of hospitals, said "rapid improvements" were needed.

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Source: BBC News, 27 November 2020

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Major concerns over funding and staffing of new ‘long covid’ clinics

There are serious concerns over the funding and staffing numbers available for new ‘long-covid’ clinics, while patient groups ‘remain in the dark’ over their locations.

Last month, NHS England announced there would be 40 clinics around the country, to start opening at the end of November, with £10m of funding to cover set-up and operational costs until March 2021.

But several speakers at HSJ’s inaugural virtual respiratory forum last week said there were still uncertainties and concerns about the capacity to provide the clinics.

Dr Jon Bennet, a respiratory consultant and chair of the British Thoracic Society, said staffing the respiratory rehabilitation services within the clinics would be challenging, as “there isn’t at the moment sufficient capacity”.

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Source: HSJ, 29 November 2020

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Welsh Covid rules on hospital visits and maternity appointments relaxed

New Covid guidance for hospitals could see more patients receiving face-to-face visits from loved ones.

NHS Wales has given health boards and hospices flexibility to allow visits based on local levels of COVID-19. Until now accompanying people to medical appointments and hospital visits have not been allowed, with a few exceptions. 

It also allows for pregnant women in low Covid rate areas to take their partners to maternity appointments.

The Welsh Government said the new flexibility was "due to the changing picture of coronavirus transmission across Wales, with significant variations in community transmission across different parts of the country and differences in the rate of nosocomial transmission".

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Source: BBC News, 30 November 2020

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Great Ormond Street Hospital admits errors led to boy’s death

Mistakes by Great Ormond Street contributed to the death of a five-year-old boy, the children’s hospital has admitted – just months after it concluded a legal case with his family in which it denied responsibility.

The world-renowned children’s hospital failed to flag results of a crucial blood test, showing that Walif Yafi had a dangerous infection, to doctors at King’s College Hospital where he had been receiving treatment. He died a few weeks later, in September 2017.

In September this year, Walif’s parents agreed an out-of-court settlement with Great Ormond Street, which admitted negligence but denied liability for the boy’s death. However, this week the hospital admitted an expert had reviewed the case ahead of the settlement and concluded its actions did contribute to Walif’s death. The hospital said it had been under no duty to share these results with Walif’s parents at the time.

Walif had a liver transplant in 2012 after suffering cancer shortly after his birth, and was being overseen by Great Ormond Street as an outpatient, as well as by the transplant team at King’s College Hospital, in south London. 

On 24 August 2017, he had a routine blood test at Great Ormond Street, which showed he had an adenovirus infection – something that is common in children whose immune system is being suppressed by drugs, as Walif’s was because of his transplant. If untreated, the infection can be deadly.

But the blood test result was not communicated to the team at King’s College Hospital. Shortly afterwards, Walif’s health deteriorated and he was admitted to hospital. He was transferred to King’s College Hospital a week later, and it was not until 7 September that the infection was confirmed. 

By this stage, he was severely unwell and, though he began anti-viral therapy, Walif suffered multiple organ failure from the spread of the infection. On 30 September, he suffered cardiac arrest and died.

It was only when approached by The Independent this week that the trust revealed its expert had, in the course of negotiating the settlement with Walif’s parents, determined the hospital did materially contribute to the child’s death.

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Source: The Independent, 29 November 2020

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Inspectors moving between Covid-hit England care homes without tests

Health inspectors in England have been moving between care homes with high levels of COVID-19 infection without being tested, raising fears they have put more residents at risk of catching the virus, leaks to the Guardian have revealed.

In recent weeks all care home inspections carried out in the north of England have been of infected homes, including a facility where 38 of the 41 people receiving care and 30 staff – almost half of the workers – had tested positive, internal documents from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) show.

Over the last two months inspectors have been checking infection control procedures and care standards in up to 600 care homes, many of which were dealing with outbreaks of COVID-19, but the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has yet to provide testing. The CQC said on Friday it was expecting to start testing inspectors “in the coming weeks”.

Weekly Covid deaths in care homes have been rising. In the week to 20 November, 398 people were notified to the CQC as having died from Covid, up from 138 a month earlier. The death toll remains lower than at the peak of the pandemic, when more than 2,500 people were dying a week in late April.

The situation has sparked “very real anxieties about contracting the disease” and spreading it between infected homes, the leaked memos reveal. One inspector described work to his managers as like “going into the eye of the storm”.

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Source: The Guardian, 27 November 2020

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Demand for public inquiry into NHS mental health deaths to be debated by MPs

A mother fighting for a public inquiry into the death of her son and more than 20 other patients at an NHS mental health hospital in Essex has won a debate in parliament after more than 100,000 people backed her campaign.

On Monday, MPs in the House of Commons will debate Melanie Leahy’s petition calling for a public inquiry into the death of her son Matthew in 2012, as well as 24 other patients who died at The Linden Centre, a secure mental health unit in Chelmsford, Essex, since 2000.

The centre is run by Essex Partnership University NHS Trust which has been heavily criticised by regulators over the case.

A review by the health service ombudsman found 19 serious failings in his care and the NHS response to his mother’s concerns.

This included staff changing records after his death to suggest he had a full care plan in place when he didn’t.  

Matthew was detained under the Mental Health Act but was found hanged in his room seven days later. He had made allegations of being raped at the centre, but this was not taken seriously by staff nor properly investigated by the NHS.

The trust has admitted Matthew’s care fell below acceptable standards.

In November, it pleaded guilty to health and safety failings linked to 11 deaths of patients in 11 years.

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Source: The Independent, 29 November 2020 

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New trust’s ‘inexperienced’ leadership criticised as CQC serves warning

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has criticised a new trust’s leadership after issuing it with a warning notice to improve care in its two emergency departments.

The watchdog warned North Cumbria Integrated Care Foundation Trust that patients were not always receiving timely and appropriate care, while delayed transfers of care had “resulted in significant delays in admitting patients on to wards”.

The CQC — which carried out focused inspections at the trust in August and September after concerns were raised about risks to patient and staff safety — added there was evidence of “insufficient numbers of suitably qualified, skilled, competent and experienced clinical staff”.

The CQC also said there was a lack of an effective system to mitigate risks, including infection control in the emergency department escalation areas and on some medical wards.

Of the trust’s Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland hospitals, the CQC said: “People could not access the urgent and emergency care and medicine service when they needed them and often had long waits for treatment.”

The CQC’s inspection report, published today, also said the trust had an “inexperienced leadership team” which “did not always have the necessary skills and abilities to lead effectively”. It added there were “few examples of leaders making a demonstrable impact on the quality or sustainability of services”.

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Source: HSJ, 30 November 2020

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Shouting, screaming and microaggressions uncovered at NHS organisation

A review of a clinical commissioning group has discovered “microaggressions and insensitivities” towards Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff, and the use of derogatory slurs about other groups.

The report into Surrey Heartlands CCG also uncovered incidents of shouting, screaming and bullying among other inappropriate behaviour. And it was reported some staff were unwilling to accept Black Lives Matter events as important, stating “all lives matter”.

The review also discovered a culture of denial and turning a blind eye to consistent concerns, with staff fearful of speaking up. In particular, the HR department was said to have been repeatedly told about the behaviour of one staff member but had chosen to ignore or delay dealing with the issues. 

However, the review found “no evidence for widespread discriminatory practices” and “no clear evidence for a widespread culture of bullying and ill-treatment” — but it added the systems to deal with concerns had failed and there was a sense of “organisational inaction”. 

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Source: HSJ, 27 November 2020

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Covid: Woman left blind after treatment delayed in pandemic

A woman has become blind after her monthly eye injections were delayed for four months during lockdown.

Helen Jeremy, 73, said everything she enjoyed doing has "gone out of the window" after losing her eyesight. She has glaucoma and was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration four years ago.

Monthly injections controlled the condition and meant she could still drive and play the piano. However, her appointments were cancelled when the pandemic struck and her eyesight deteriorated.

"I was panicking. It was terrifying. Because I'm a widow I'm on my own and it was awful," she said.

"Suddenly my eyesight was basically gone. By the time of my next appointment I was told there was no point in going on with these injections because the damage had been done to the back of my eye."

Thousands more people in Wales are at risk of "irreversible sight loss" because of treatment delays, RNIB Cymru warns.

The Welsh Government said health boards are working to increase services.

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Source: BBC News, 27 November 2020

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Head of NHS inquiry warns other families could be victims of cover-ups

The chairman of an inquiry that has confirmed a 20-year cover-up over the avoidable death of a baby has warned there are other families who may have suffered a similar ordeal.

Publishing the findings of his investigation into the 2001 death of Elizabeth Dixon, Dr Bill Kirkup said he wanted to see action taken to prevent harmed families having to battle for years to get answers.

Dr Kirkup, who has been involved in multiple high-profile investigations of NHS failures in recent years, said: “There has been considerable difficulty in establishing investigations, where events are regarded as historic. I don't like the term historic investigations. I think that these things remain current for the people who've suffered harm, until they're resolved, it’s not historic for them.  

“There has been significant reluctance to look at a variety of cases. Mr and Mrs Dixon were courageous and very persistent and they were given help by others and were successful in securing the investigation and it worries me that other people haven't been.

“I do think we should look at how we can establish a proper mechanism that will make sure that such cases are heard."

“It's impossible to rule out there being other people who are in a similar position. In fact, I know of some who are. I think it's as important for them that they get heard, and that they get things that should have been looked at from the start looked at now, if that's the best that we can do.”

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Source: The Independent, 27 November 2020

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Cancer: Blood test for 50 types to be trialled by NHS

A blood test designed to detect more than 50 types of cancer at an early stage will be trialled by the NHS.

More than 165,000 people in England will be offered the tests from next year. If successful, the NHS hopes to expand it to 1m people from 2024.

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, said early detection had the potential "to save many lives".

While some welcomed the pilot, others cautioned the test was still untried and untested.

Developing a blood test for cancer has been keeping scientists busy for many years without much success.

Making one that's accurate and reliable has proved incredibly complex - the danger is that a test doesn't detect a person's cancer when they do have it, or it indicates someone has cancer when they don't.

This test, developed by the Californian firm Grail, is designed to detect molecular changes in the blood caused by cancer in people with no obvious symptoms.

As part of a large-scale pilot, also funded by the company, 140,000 participants aged between 50 and 79 will be asked to take the tests for the next three years.

Another 25,000 people with possible cancer symptoms will also be offered testing after being referred to hospital in the normal way.

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Source: BBC News, 27 November 2020

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Elizabeth Dixon death inquiry 'exposes 20-year cover-up' of mistakes

The death of a premature baby in 2001 led to a "20-year cover-up" of mistakes by health workers, an independent inquiry has found.

Elizabeth Dixon, from Hampshire, died due to a blocked breathing tube shortly before her first birthday. The government, which ordered the inquiry in 2017, said the mistakes in her care were "shocking and harrowing".

The inquiry report by Dr Bill Kirkup said some of those involved had been "persistently dishonest".

Elizabeth, known as Lizzie, died from asphyxiation after suffering a blockage in her tracheostomy tube while under the care of a private nursing agency at home.

Dr Bill Kirkup, who was appointed by the government to review the case, said her "profound disability and death could have been avoided".

He said: "There were failures of care by every organisation that looked after her, none of which was admitted at the time, nor properly investigated then or later."

"Instead, a cover-up began on the day that she died, propped up by denial and deception."

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Source: BBC News, 26 November 2020

Patient Safety Learning's statement on the Dixon Inquiry report

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England set to open specialist surgical mesh removal centres in April

A network of specialist surgical mesh removal centres is to be set up around England, with a launch planned for April 2021.

The move implements a recommendation of the review, chaired by the Conservative peer and former health minister Julia Cumberlege, into three treatments which caused avoidable harm. These included the use of transvaginal tape and pelvic mesh to treat pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence.

The review, which published its report in July, heard “harrowing” stories about women left with serious complications. The mesh is hard to remove and only a few surgeons in the UK are able to carry out the procedure.

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Source: BMJ, 25 November 2020

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Trust CEO asks for ‘scientific evidence’ on covid vaccine safety to reassure staff

NHS trust chief executives have told HSJ  they need more clarity the Pfizer-BioNTech covid vaccine is safe to reassure their worried staff. 

Trusts were told last week they need to be ready to start vaccinating their staff from early next month. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that they would initially be asked to use the covid vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, assuming it is granted a licence by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Speaking at the HSJ Provider Virtual Summit, St George’s University Hospitals Foundation Trust chief executive Jacqueline Totterdell said there was a lot of “anxiety” around the vaccine among her staff. Leeds Community Healthcare Trust chief Thea Stein added leaders in her city feel “anxious and uncertain”.

Ms Totterdell said: “As a responsible officer for 9,000 staff, I also need to be clear that the vaccination is safe. That bit of narrative just needs to come out from the centre, about the reasons why they think it is safe.

“I think there is a lot of anxiety, and some of the polls we’ve done around south west London show that as little as 50 per cent of people are willing just to have it without any of that [assurance]."

Northumbria Healthcare FT chief executive Sir Jim Mackey, who also spoke at the summit, admitted he was “a bit surprised” by some staff who said they were not going to get the vaccine.

The former NHS Improvement chief added: “I think when it actually comes to it, and we get the messaging right about it, not just the responsibility for you but also your responsibility for the people you work with… then the vast majority of people will get it and take confidence in the fact that it’s been developed really quickly and effectively.

“These things don’t get signed off if they’re dangerous, so we need to embrace it as the thing that’s going to get us back to normal.”

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Source: HSJ, 26 November 2020

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NHS to get millions of pounds to help save babies’ lives

Ministers are to invest millions in making Britain's maternity wards safer, it was announced on Wednesday after The Independent exposed a series of cases in which mothers and babies had suffered avoidable harm during childbirth.

The new money, almost £10m, was announced as part of the spending review unveiled by Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, in the Commons and will deliver new pilots of what the Treasury called “cutting-edge training” to improve practice during childbirth.

Significant failings in maternity safety units across the NHS have devastated families and left some babies needing tens of millions of pounds to look after them in later life.

In November last year, The Independent joined with the charity Baby Lifeline to call for a new fund to be set up after exposing the single largest maternity scandal in NHS history at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust, where dozens of babies have died or been left with brain damage.

The new funding will also cover the final year of the independent investigation into the Shrewsbury trust.

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Source: The Independent, 26 November 2020

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111 First to go live imminently amid ‘vehement’ opposition in some EDs

Emergency care leaders are warning it will take up to six more months to determine whether pilots of a radical change to accident and emergency are working, even though it is due to go live nationally next week, HSJ  has learned.

HSJ understands the new “111 First” system — where walk-in patients not in medical emergencies call 111 to “book” urgent care — is set to “go live” across England from next week following pilots in acute trusts which have been run since the summer.

From 1 December, people will be able to call NHS 111 from anywhere in the country and have urgent care “booked” for them if needed, it is understood. NHS England has been pursuing the 111 First model to help reduce overcrowding and the risk of nosocomial infections in A&Es. The service is also intended to be able to book them into GP practice appointments.

Well-placed sources confirmed most acute trusts have now implemented some form of 111 First and the model is set to be part of their standard operations when the national system “goes live” next week. A national advertising campaign is expected to promote the approach.

But the Royal College of Emergency Care Medicine said there was a “vocal minority” of clinicians who are “vehemently against” 111 First as they believe it will increase demand in emergency departments.

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Source: HSJ, 25 November 2020

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Long Covid: How knowledge of ME could help sufferers

While both ME and long Covid, or post-Covid syndrome, are long-term illnesses, they aren’t the same thing. But, there are ways in which our knowledge of ME has helped experts treat long Covid. It’s also helped those with the illness understand what they’re going through. Evan was diagnosed with ME in 2017, and she believes her experience can help her support those living with long Covid.

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Source: BBC News, 26 November 2020

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Dido Harding to speak tomorrow (Thursday) at HSJ provider summit

NHS Test and Trace chief Baroness Dido Harding will be interviewed by HSJ editor Alastair McLellan at 9am tomorrow  as part of HSJ’s virtual provider summit.

HSJ’s subscribers working in the NHS or a non-profit organisation can register to attend the summit here.

Other speakers will include new Health Education England chief executive Navina Evans and King’s Fund chief executive Richard Murray. The subjects due to be covered include how the NHS will tackle the drive to recover routine care, the service’s workforce challenges and how forthcoming legislation may impact the governance of the service.

Full details of the programme can be seen here.

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The battle for survival in Britain's intensive care units

Across Britain, intensive care nurses and doctors are being pushed to their limits as they try to save lives from coronavirus. During 12-hour shifts in sweltering conditions, they are faced with technical and emotional challenges that many have never faced as they tackle a virus that has swept across the globe in a matter of days, threatening to kill tens of thousands in the UK.

Britain has yet to even hit the peak of infections, but intensive care specialists are already asking how long they can keep working relentlessly.

“We are trained for and used to dealing with difficult and emotional scenarios, but this is like a major incident that never ends,” says critical care nurse Karin Gerber.

As an advanced nurse practitioner in critical care outreach, the 47-year-old sees patients in hospital who are getting sicker and may need to be admitted to intensive care. She says she has never seen anything “at this intensity”.

The Royal London Hospital is at the forefront of the capital’s fight against the virus and has created more than 200 extra beds at its Whitechapel site in east London. They are filled with COVID-19 patients.

Simon Richards, senior charge nurse at the Royal London’s critical care unit, tells The Independent: “In 20 years as a nurse this situation is by far the worst I have ever seen and totally unexpected, but the team spirit that people have shown has been amazing.

“It’s extremely difficult, we are working so hard. The whole team is being pushed to their limit and you do wonder how long can this be sustained for? I wish we could see light at the end of the tunnel.”

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Source: The Independent, 24 November 2020

 
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