BRADFORD hospital staff have spoken of the immense personal sacrifices they have made during the Covid-19 crisis. 

The efforts of those working in the NHS have been firmly in the spotlight through the pandemic - none more so than when the nation joined together on Thursday nights in the weekly ‘Clap for Carers’.

Writing in his diary for the BBC, Professor John Wright, an epidemiologist and director of the Bradford Institute for Health Research, which is based at the Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI), said: “I am so humbled by the personal sacrifices that some of my colleagues have made during the pandemic.

"Healthcare workers are five or six times more likely to be infected than the general public, so they also have a much greater risk of infecting others. Living as a civilian in a house with a healthcare worker can be bad for your health.”

He has been sharing his insight from the BRI since the early days of the pandemic and in the latest diary, spoke to Becky Aird, a specialist respiratory nurse and acting ward sister on the hospital’s busiest Covid ward, and junior doctor Kirsten Sellick. 

Becky made the difficult decision to move out of her parents’ home to protect her mum, who has MS, while Kirsten moved out of the family home to live in hospital accommodation. 

Becky described the experience as being “very lonely”.

She said: “I was very upset when one of my friends, Kelly, was admitted to my ward. I was the main nurse in charge and it really shocked me, it was such a big thing to see her fighting for breath and so ill.

"I was crying when I got back to the hotel - I couldn’t stop thinking about her. She asked me to promise her that she wasn’t going to die. Thankfully she went on to CPAP (non-invasive ventilation) and started to improve.

“We are still admitting patients on to the Covid ward and I don’t see much sign it’s stopping. Some people tell us they haven’t been social distancing - they’ve been with relatives, or to other houses.

"I definitely think it’s going to get worse before it gets better, because I think people just think that it’s over.”

Despite the hard times, Becky said a highlight has been seeing patients get better and clapping them out once they have recovered, describing it as her “favourite thing ever”.

Kirsten said the thought of taking Covid-19 home to family “was just too much”.
She said: “It is pretty lonely. There are two other doctors but it’s difficult not being around family or people you love, and a phone call can only do so much.

"It’s been sad work, seeing young people who aren’t doing as well as I’d like them to. It’s hard to explain to family members - I try to get across that we are doing our best. But it’s been heart-breaking speaking to them on the phone.

“It was a lovely moment to see our first patient come off the ventilator and leave the ward. That makes the sacrifice worth it - knowing we can really help people.”

Prof Wright said: “Becky and Kirsten are the embodiment of the dedication of the NHS front-line workers. This is what they trained for - to care for people and to save lives.

"However, working on the Covid “red” wards has to be one of the toughest jobs, both physically and emotionally, and I worry about the impact on their physical and mental health when they are separated from their usual support networks of loving family and friends.

"We will have to work hard to care for our carers.”