Nurses and doctors share their experiences of working through the pandemic
“Every day was scary,” says nurse Laura Blackmore, when asked to reflect on 2020.
“I remember having my visor on and hearing my own breath – like when you’re scuba diving and you can hear your breath over everything.”
Laura is of course speaking about the Covid pandemic – one of the most challenging periods in NHS history. At the time, Laura – just 23 years of age – was working in one of St George’s specialist intensive care units, set up to meet a surge in very sick patients.
“It was one of the hardest times of my life for sure,” says Laura, who is now a ward manager. “I definitely still struggle with it, and I definitely still think of that time all the time.”
Laura is among three members of staff at St George’s to share her story with BBC London to mark five years since the UK went into lockdown.
She – along with colleagues Dr Nirav Shah, Clinical Director for Adult Critical Care, and Dr Jane Evans, Divisional Chair for Medicine and Cardiovascular Sciences – highlights the huge impact this had on staff at the time, and how it continues to affect them to this day.
“At the time I did have staff support through the hospital which did help – just someone to vent and cry to. I just remember crying in my first session the whole way through,” says Laura.
She always makes sure now to tell staff that “it’s OK not to be OK”, and encourages them to talk and seek support when things get tough.
"We saw our colleagues get sick, we saw our friends and family get sick,” adds Dr Evans, a respiratory consultant.
“Some people lost friends and family through this time... and that was really tough.
“So I think it shows just how the NHS did pull together and did some really amazing things really quickly."
Dr Shah, meanwhile, speaks about some of the different ways of working since Covid, including the launch of ACCESS London – a partnership that transports critically-ill adult patients across the country .
He also recalls how quickly St George’s had to respond when huge numbers of people fell very unwell.
"We changed everything," he says. “The hospital went from about 60 intensive care beds to around 120 at the peak. At one stage there were about 700 patients in the hospital with Covid.”
The sacrifices made by staff across St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group will not be forgotten – nor will the huge impact it had on patients and the wider community.
To mark five years since the pandemic started, the Group held a series of special services –staff, patients, and visitors were also invited to write their reflections in a book of remembrance, and to tie a yellow ribbon on a tree.
You can watch BBC London’s report here .
