Yorkshire nurse says 'we have seen nothing like this' after working in ICU - as Doncaster reveals shocking Covid-19 death toll

The woman, known as Jane, claims a colleague even tried to commit suicide as a result of the strain NHS medics are under during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have seen nothing like this. There is simply no let-up. There is a constant strain on every one of us - something has got to give,” she told the Press Association.

“Many staff are burned out. I know people who have worked on ICU for 20 years and have left or are leaving.

“A colleague I used to work with tried to commit suicide as she couldn’t cope. She’d left ICU, but had been called back to help.

“People seem to forget we are humans, with families and loved ones of our own; many of us have had bereavements ourselves this year, some of whom had Covid.”

The British Medical Association’s Council warned earlier this week NHS staff could experience burnout, adding that as many as two in five NHS workers have not had a break since the first wave of the pandemic in March.

Jane said she is helped by a psychologist at her hospital, but the pressure is taking a particular toll on younger, less experienced workers - with some staff off sick due to acute and chronic stress and many experiencing PTSD.

She said normally nurses give one-to-one care to patients in ventilated beds but during Covid they are now regularly expected to manage two patients at once.

While there are now more general staff at her hospital, her ICU is still understaffed with doctors despite promises for more to be provided in the second wave.

She said nurses are still regularly forced to contact doctors from elsewhere in the hospital by phone, but it takes time for them to arrive and don appropriate PPE to enter the hospital’s 'Covid hot' areas.

In many hospital areas, emergency buzzers also cannot be heard, which has caused several incidents where staff are left alone and unable to summon help.

“This is grossly unacceptable,” she said.

“If you’re on your own, you cannot leave to get a drink, a break or even go to the toilet until someone comes and relieves you.

“Someone was telling me a nurse was in an area alone and she had to go into the sluice to have a wee as she couldn’t get to the toilet.”

Jane said there are also even fewer healthcare assistants, who can aid with tasks like moving patients and equipment than last time.

“This time, we have very few runners and it feels less safe. We were promised runners by management, but this has been a lie,” she said.

“Management have not been very supportive. You often see them on TV in PPE being interviewed.

“This is complete rubbish, they are NEVER in PPE, they are NEVER on the ‘shop floor’ helping,” she claimed.

Jane described 12-hour shifts, in which workers often do not sit down, as exhausting - with PPE causing severe dehydration due to sweat beneath the thick plastic gear.

Despite the strains, Jane said she is “so proud” of her team and the support staff give to each other.

“We have worked through this, and will get through it,” she said.

“We see each other drowning at times, and help each other.”

Jane said more investment is needed in the NHS to stop nurses like herself being underpaid.

“I get £15 per hour. My mate works on the deli counter at Waitrose and gets £14 an hour (I’m not resenting her, just saying),” she added.

Her comments come as the NHS revealed the shocking toll the second wave of the pandemic has taken on Doncaster - where 370 people in the autumn 'cohort' of the illness have died from Covid-19 and hospitals came close to exceeding their capacity.*

At one point, Doncaster Royal Infirmary was close to running out of beds and the NHS trust which runs the hospital has treated double the number of patients during the second wave as in the first.

A report seen by councillors shows that the trust at one point had 220 patients with Covid-19 and with bed capacity nearing 99 per cent.

During the first wave, hospitals had a maximum of 115 patients which is 48 per cent less than the peak during the second wave.

Chief executive Richard Parker said that by late October, the hospital had the third highest bed occupancy in the country at 98.6 per cent, putting huge strain on staff.

As of November 9, Mr Parker said the hospital trust has had 1,422 confirmed positive patients within the hospital trust, with 119 of these individuals requiring critical care.

Of this cohort, 850 people have been discharged while 370 have sadly passed away.

Hospital bosses said that when cases slowed in the summer, plans were drawn up in order to try and tackle the impending second wave.

Mitigations for the second wave included increasing intensive care bed capacity from around 30 to a surge, and super surge capacity of just under 130.

Other measures included a doubling of piped oxygen capacity, introduction of in-house testing and managing procurement processes, ensuring that we now have substantial PPE stocks.

“All of this has only been made possible thanks to the truly heroic efforts of colleagues,” Mr Parker said.

“Everyone of all grades and specialisms ensure that our pathways continue to function, our patients continue to receive the care they need, and our communities are given the confidence they need to ensure they can carry on about their daily lives, albeit under certain restrictions, safe in the knowledge that friends and family have a place to go if they become critically unwell.

“We undoubtedly have some challenging days, weeks and months ahead, however we are confident that, as a Trust, we are as prepared as we can be.

“We will continue to rely on the support of our partners, as well as the goodwill of our communities, and we look forward to a time when we can put this illness behind us.”

*Additional reporting by George Torr, Local Democracy Reporting Service