Life inside Chesterfield Royal Hospital's 'relentless' Covid intensive care unit as staff see surge of seriously ill young patients

Mandy Marples, senior matron for surgical support services, says her ‘physically and emotionally drained’ team has already cared for three times the number of Covid-positive patients during this second wave of the virus.

The unit has also seen a marked increase in the number of young people – some in their 20s – needing intensive care support after falling ill with coronavirus.

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Mandy’s message to the people of the area who want to help is clear.

“Please, please, please stay home and follow all the Government guidelines and safety advice,” she said.

"We understand the frustration as we are experiencing the same thing.

"We also miss our family and friends but every day we see the very worst of what this virus is doing to people and the best thing you can do to stem the tide and help us and our patients is to stick to the guidelines, keep going and see it through.”

The Royal recently passed the tragic milestone of seeing its 300th patient die from Covid-19, and there are currently 20 patients in ITU, 14 of whom are Covid-positive.

These patients have multiple organ failure, with half receiving mechanical ventilation and others being given support with enhanced Oxygen Therapy.

"We are currently at around 135 per cent capacity due to the additional surge in beds and this can vary up and down dramatically,” Mandy said.

"In this second wave we’ve had just under three times the number of Covid positive patients needing intensive care support.

"The number of patients coming through has been relentless at times and we have needed to train staff from other areas of the trust to provide vital support to help care for the patients we have.

"It’s been a tremendous effort from everyone involved and we still have some way to go."

Mandy says people should be ‘under no illusions’ about the seriousness of this ‘cruel disease’ and the ‘devastating affect’ it is having on our community.

She said: “We are seeing an increase in younger patients this time around, including some in their 20s. The majority of our admissions have been under the age of 60.

"We are doing everything we can to care for the most seriously ill people who have this virus, all we ask is for everyone out there to do the best they can, keep themselves, their families and their friends safe and help us to protect our services.”

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Mandy says it has been difficult to see patients with no family visiting and having to go through it alone.

"Where possible we FaceTime family and give regular updates over the phone but it isn’t the same,” she added.

"We would usually form strong bonds with patients and their families and this is having an effect on our colleagues’ well-being and is equally difficult for relatives as well.

"Staff have worked tirelessly since last March and are both physically and emotionally drained.

“Working in full PPE for this length of time has been stressful and is taking a huge toll on our workforce."

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.