Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) granted City News access to talk with key workers about their experiences of Covid-19 from the past 18 months.
On entry to the hospital, the reception was bustling. Patients were once again being seen for non-covid related illnesses.
Porters wheeled patients to and from clinics, as the hospital managed the backlog of non-emergency cases.
Milton Keynes University Hospital
However, it is behind closed doors where the private, and often, emotional stories are held.
The physical and emotional strain from the last year is still evident. Back in March 2020, doctors were swept off their feet to deal with the unprecedented pandemic.
A doctor working in the Covid intensive care ward
Speaking with consultant anaesthetist, Nikolaos Makris, he explains how “initially there was a huge amount of anxiety amongst staff, amongst the general population and that really galvanised people into action very early on”.
“We knew this was coming, we knew we had to prepare, and everyone sprang into action”
Impact of Covid
According to the JHU CSSE Covid-19 data, there are nearly 130,000 Covid related deaths in the UK.
452 of those deaths happened at MKUH. This has had a knock-on effect for the workers.
The British Medical Association found that in the last 12 months 41% of NHS staff have suffered from depression, anxiety and emotional distress.
Speaking with Helen Gain, a ward nurse, she describes an emotionally distressing scene where a Covid patient wanted to die.
She explained how “he didn’t want his oxygen anymore, he just wanted to die because he had had enough”.
She ended the interview stating “it’s going to affect me even though you try and forget, but it’s not easy to forget.”
Two doctors conversing on a staircase
Every single doctor in the hospital has been affected on a personal level.
Speaking with The Chief Executive of MKUH, Joe Harrison, he explained that his mother died from Covid a few months ago.
Harrison explained that “we hear lots of numbers every day, but actually all of those numbers are individual people and they have families and loved ones that are impacted by this”.
Light at the end of the tunnel
For what has been a tumultuous last year, there is hope with the vaccine rollout.
With NHS England stating that nearly half the UK is vaccinated, hospitalisations are decreasing.
House Nurse Mladen Topic receiving his second dose of the vaccine
Rapid Response Nurse and Practice Development Nurse, Wendy Bellenger, says the vaccine programme is something that the NHS can be incredibly proud of.
After a turbulent year of three lockdowns, two waves and one goal – to protect people from the virus, the staff have reflected and look forward to what will hopefully be a less intense year.
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Standfirst
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HeadlineThe truth behind the frontline: shared stories from NHS workers
Short HeadlineCovid stories from the frontline.
StandfirstCity Investigates went to Milton Keynes University Hospital to speak to pandemic healthcare workers.
Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) granted City News access to talk with key workers about their experiences of Covid-19 from the past 18 months.
On entry to the hospital, the reception was bustling. Patients were once again being seen for non-covid related illnesses.
Porters wheeled patients to and from clinics, as the hospital managed the backlog of non-emergency cases.
Milton Keynes University Hospital
However, it is behind closed doors where the private, and often, emotional stories are held.
The physical and emotional strain from the last year is still evident. Back in March 2020, doctors were swept off their feet to deal with the unprecedented pandemic.
A doctor working in the Covid intensive care ward
Speaking with consultant anaesthetist, Nikolaos Makris, he explains how “initially there was a huge amount of anxiety amongst staff, amongst the general population and that really galvanised people into action very early on”.
“We knew this was coming, we knew we had to prepare, and everyone sprang into action”
Impact of Covid
According to the JHU CSSE Covid-19 data, there are nearly 130,000 Covid related deaths in the UK.
452 of those deaths happened at MKUH. This has had a knock-on effect for the workers.
The British Medical Association found that in the last 12 months 41% of NHS staff have suffered from depression, anxiety and emotional distress.
Speaking with Helen Gain, a ward nurse, she describes an emotionally distressing scene where a Covid patient wanted to die.
She explained how “he didn’t want his oxygen anymore, he just wanted to die because he had had enough”.
She ended the interview stating “it’s going to affect me even though you try and forget, but it’s not easy to forget.”
Two doctors conversing on a staircase
Every single doctor in the hospital has been affected on a personal level.
Speaking with The Chief Executive of MKUH, Joe Harrison, he explained that his mother died from Covid a few months ago.
Harrison explained that “we hear lots of numbers every day, but actually all of those numbers are individual people and they have families and loved ones that are impacted by this”.
Light at the end of the tunnel
For what has been a tumultuous last year, there is hope with the vaccine rollout.
With NHS England stating that nearly half the UK is vaccinated, hospitalisations are decreasing.
House Nurse Mladen Topic receiving his second dose of the vaccine
Rapid Response Nurse and Practice Development Nurse, Wendy Bellenger, says the vaccine programme is something that the NHS can be incredibly proud of.
After a turbulent year of three lockdowns, two waves and one goal – to protect people from the virus, the staff have reflected and look forward to what will hopefully be a less intense year.
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