Waiting for a hospital appointment? COVID-19 has had a major effect on our services and we’re trying to keep you in the picture as best we can.

Here’s some answers to some questions you may have.

My GP’s referred me for treatment but I’ve just received a letter telling me it’s been ‘paused’ – why?

To put it simply – coronavirus or COVID-19.

All hospitals, including Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, were instructed by NHS England to cancel outpatient appointments and routine surgery in March so they were not overwhelmed by the virus.

We reconfigured every part of our hospitals, freeing up beds, changing wards and redeploying clinicians, nurses, admin and support staff to help as COVID-19 became our focus. More recently, we’ve had to adapt those plans again as we’ll be dealing with the virus for most, if not all, of this year and perhaps even beyond.

Was it just surgery or outpatient appointments that were paused?

It was both. We were only able to keep performing life-saving, emergency surgery and cancer treatment.

What about me? I was on the waiting list before the COVID-19 outbreak

If you were on a waiting list before the COVID-19 outbreak, you will still be on our waiting list unless we have written to you to advise you differently.  However, unfortunately, you will be waiting longer to be seen and we are really sorry about that.  Our clinicians are regularly reviewing our waiting lists and prioritising patients to be treated.  Since the lockdown, GPs have continued to refer patients to us and they are also on our waiting list.

How many patients are affected?

We’re very sorry to tell you the numbers are huge. COVID-19’s impact on the UK will last for years and affect millions waiting for hospital treatment all over the country.

These figures will help you understand why.

In 2018/19, we had 1,047,501 contacts with patients as outpatients, inpatients and follow-ups after procedures and treatment. Losing even a single day, let alone two months, can have a big impact. And that’s just at our NHS trust. There are another 222 just like us in the country, running more than 1,000 hospitals.

We have sent 12,296 letters to those waiting for their first outpatient appointment before the COVID-19 outbreak. There were another 10,612 waiting for a date for either day surgery or surgery involving a hospital stay and we’ve contacted them too.

We expect to see around 60,000 people for outpatient appointments every month but, in April, we saw just over half that number, 2,400 day cases compared to our normal 6,000 and 305 inpatients compared to 1,300.

In June, we’re expecting to see 32,000 outpatients, almost half of the number we saw in the same month last year, 3,100 day cases compared to 6,000 last year and 400 inpatients, less than a third of the number we saw in June 2019. Working at half our capacity means waiting lists in almost every area are increasing every month.

What are you doing to sort this?

Everything we can. But it’s not easy. We can’t just pick up where we left off because COVID-19 has changed everything.

If it’s suitable, we’re introducing video and telephone consultations. But you’ll appreciate that, in a hospital setting, that isn’t always suitable.

With so much of our hospitals taken up with COVID-19, we’re also working with the independent hospital sector to send some of our patients there for appointments and procedures. So, your appointment letter may ask you to attend the Spire Hospital in Anlaby.

When it’s not, we’re trying to bring back services but we have to take account of supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), staff availability and bed space.

Why is COVID-19 having such a massive impact when Hull escaped the worst of the pandemic?

It’s right to say that, so far, our hospitals haven’t seen the surge in admissions experienced by hospitals in larger cities like London or Birmingham. That might still happen and we check  admissions closely so we’re ready to respond to any change.

But the pandemic isn’t over, not by a long way. We’re still looking after around 100 patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 every day and that’s been the case for two months. We’ve had 150 deaths and we’ve discharged more than 300 patients.

All patients admitted to hospital as urgent or emergency cases who are expected to stay with us for more than one night are being tested as well as those coming for screening ahead of surgery requiring a hospital admission.

We’re also swabbing those attending hospitals for procedures such as endoscopies and we’re testing every patient before they are discharged to a care home or their own home with a package of support.

So, that’s a huge amount of additional work on top of our everyday activities.

Surely it’s easy just to restart everything?

Let’s remind ourselves about the virus. COVID-19 is highly infectious and is spread by droplets caused by coughing, sneezing, talking and – here’s the important part – anything releasing those  droplets in the air. These are called aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) and we do lots in hospital – everything surgery to CPR.

Remember, these droplets can linger on surfaces for up to three days.

In a hospital setting, just as you do at home, we have to take precautions to keep our patients and staff safe. Our theatre teams, for example, have to wear special PPE. They need to change and the air in theatres has to “settle” between patients. It’s time-consuming. Say in a normal day we’d see 15 patients, we can only see half of those now. That means fewer operations each day so more patients waiting for treatment.

We have to make sure we’ve got enough PPE to keep our staff and patients safe. The supply issues caused by the global demand are well-known. We will not reintroduce a service unless we have the PPE to keep our teams and our patients as safe as possible.

Some of our wards are treating COVID-19 so we’ve got fewer beds. That means we can’t call you in for your procedure or surgery if we’ve got no bed for you to begin your recovery.

We’ve also got a significant proportion of our staff self-isolating or off with COVID-19. This includes pregnant staff and those with their own underlying health conditions. Fewer staff means we can’t look after as many patients as before or hold as many clinics.

I understand all this. But how long will I have to wait?

It’s really hard to say. Our clinicians are going through our waiting lists very carefully and patients will be seen depending on the state of their health. In reality, that means those with the greatest need will be seen first. The lists will be reviewed regularly as we know some people’s conditions will deteriorate so whereas they might not have been a priority to start, that could change as the weeks and months go by.

I’ve been asked to shield and stay at home because I’m high risk. But I’ve been asked to come to hospital for an appointment. What should I do?

We are aiming to hold appointments by telephone or video-conferencing where possible to help with social distancing and so people don’t need to travel to hospital. However, some patients will need to have face-to-face appointments to give blood, for example, or so we can assess clinical issues. If you need to come here, we’ll try to make sure you’re seen in a part of the hospital where there are no known COVID-19 cases. If that’s not possible, we’ll attempt to give you an appointment either at the start or the end of a clinic to minimise your contact with other people. Be assured that our staff will be wearing the appropriate PPE to keep you as safe as possible. Remember, if you’re got any concerns about coming to hospital, you can call the number on your appointment letter.

What if I become unwell or my condition deteriorates?

If you feel that you are seriously unwell, please call 111 or, in an emergency, call 999. If you think your condition is deteriorating or you’re experiencing increasing pain, contact your GP who can request advice from one of our clinicians if necessary.

When will I hear from the service again?

From the outset, we want to say how sorry we are to everyone who is having to wait far too long for treatment. We know this is far from ideal. We know it’s frustrating for so many. Our staff come to work in the NHS to help people, not to keep them waiting, often in pain and discomfort. But we are coping with a situation beyond our control but in the best way we can.

We’re trying to keep everyone informed and we really appreciate your patience and understanding.

With so many people to help, it’s a massive task in itself just to get in touch with everyone.

We’ll be keeping people informed of important changes and general updates through our Facebook and Twitter pages and our website and we’ll be asking the media to help us relay important changes as we go along.

When it’s time for you to come for your appointment or procedure, we’ll get in touch with you. If you’ve got specific queries, you can contact our Appointments Centre on (01482) 604444 Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 12 noon.  Please remember they’re really busy so only get in touch if you have no alternative.

Hull’s Accident and Emergency Department will feature in a Channel 5 documentary set to air next week.

Staff at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust welcomed a team from Crackit Productions into the department last autumn to film for the new six part documentary series.

Recorded over the course of seven weeks, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, A&E: After Dark follows the doctors and nurses working the night shift at Hull Royal Infirmary. From drug and alcohol-related admissions to everyday accidents, the series shows viewers what frontline staff have to deal with on a night shift; issues which are not unique to Hull but common across all emergency departments throughout the country.

The first episode will be shown on Channel 5 at 9pm on Monday 1^st June, with the remaining five episodes to be shown weekly thereafter.

Teresa Cope, Chief Operating Officer for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said:

“We know our emergency care staff do an amazing job, so taking part in A&E: After Dark has given us the opportunity to show just what a caring and resilient team we have here in Hull and how they are trained and skilled to respond to anything and everything that comes through the door.

“In filming the documentary, we were also looking to give people a better understanding of what goes on behind closed doors, and why sometimes A&E waits can extend for several hours. Major trauma cases, medical emergencies and patients who are behaving aggressively can take up a large amount of resources; we felt it was important for people to see and understand this, and hopefully help us reduce the toll this takes on our staff and other patients.

“A&E: After Dark provides an insight into the personal and emotional impact the work can have on staff, gives a flavour of the difficult decisions they have to make, and shows how our staff work with partners such as the police, ambulance crews, mental health teams and our security staff to keep people safe.

“Watching the team at work makes me immensely proud of our emergency care staff, and shows just how fortunate we are here in Hull to have such a skilled and specialist team. Hopefully seeing the team in action will encourage people to support them by choosing health services more appropriately and, in a small number of cases, to behave towards our staff in a more courteous and appropriate way.”

Working the A&E night shift presents a set of challenges not generally encountered during the daytime. Alcohol and drug related admissions increase, as do admissions of vulnerable people such as the elderly and those with mental health issues, while falls and road traffic accidents also become more common.

A&E: After Dark follows previous hospital-based commissions from Crackit Productions including three series of Casualty 24/7; a series for Channel 5 following the day-to-day running of an A&E unit in Barnsley Hospital; and two series of BBC One’s Secret Life of the Hospital Bed, an access series to eight NHS hospitals.

Elaine Hackett, CEO at Crackit said:

“Filmed before the Covid-19 crisis, this series looks at the many incidents NHS night staff, not just in Hull, but throughout the country, have to deal with on a daily basis. From traffic accidents to drunken disasters, fights and drug-related admissions, this is a gritty, moving documentary that will show viewers the pressures NHS staff are constantly under.

“The prism of a night shift within A&E delivers a completely different working dynamic. We worked closely with the dedicated staff and Hull residents, and we also witnessed the night shift in full swing, where, as happens in far too many UK hospitals, incidents triggered by drugs, drink and criminal behaviour regularly caused disruption to an already overstretched A&E department. We hope our filming will bring the challenges facing the NHS to light and create conversation and debate about the incredible work of the NHS and its staff.”

Dr Biju Cherian, consultant in emergency medicine (pictured far right), is one of the many ED staff members to feature within the documentary series. He said:

“It’s true that our team has to deal with some difficult circumstances at times, but we know that our city and our patients are no different to anywhere else, and our staff generally have similar experiences to staff working in A&E departments in other parts of the country.

“Being filmed at work did feel a little strange at first, but staff quickly got used to the team being in the department and, in fact, many colleagues were keen for Crackit to show what life is really like for us on a typical night shift.

“Your shift in an emergency department can be unpredictable, but this is often what makes it so interesting, and every patient has their own story to tell. They might be new parents, recently bereaved, had too much to drink, be experiencing mental health distress, or been involved in a major road traffic collision – but to our team, everyone deserves and receives the highest level of care.”

A hospital doctor is warning that Hull could be at risk of a much more serious second peak of coronavirus cases compared to other parts of the country.

Dr Patrick Lillie, consultant in infectious diseases for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is urging people not to become complacent as the number of COVID-19 related deaths being recorded nationally starts to decline.

“Hull has been fortunate to an extent in that our coronavirus peak, which we experienced a few weeks ago, was not as high as we had originally planned for,” he says.

“Perhaps due to its relative geographical isolation, the Hull and East Yorkshire region has certainly experienced far fewer cases than the likes of other cities such as Liverpool, Sheffield and London.

“While this is good news initially, and while the numbers of people in our hospitals being treated for COVID are now reducing, we are by no means out of the woods yet.

“Because fewer people in the region were affected during this first peak, it means that we have more people who have not been exposed to the virus at all yet. Should there be a second peak, for example if there’s an outbreak in a large care home or people begin to flout social distancing rules, Hull could quite feasibly experience a second peak which is more severe than the first.”

Geographical isolation is no protection from coronavirus as, back in January, it was staff at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham who received the very first patients in the country to test positive before they were transferred to a specialist treatment centre in Newcastle.

Now, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust continues to treat around one hundred patients with either confirmed or suspected COVID-19 every day, and is routinely testing every patient admitted into Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital as a precautionary measure.

Dr Lillie continues:

“Locally, we are continuing to monitor hospital admissions, COVID-related deaths and the number of patients requiring intensive care, and we do have plans in place to care for COVID positive patients for months to come yet.

“Overall, the data shows we are currently heading in the right direction, but it’s important that this isn’t seen as permission to relax or drop your guard. The reduction will, in part, be due to improved management and treatment of COVID positive patients, but it will also be because some patients are still dying with the virus. The situation is very finely balanced at the moment and it wouldn’t take a lot to see demand for hospital care rise again.

“Hundreds of people are still dying across the country with coronavirus and because any second peak could potentially be more serious in East Yorkshire, it’s important that we all still stay alert and do as much as we can to prevent this from happening.

“Social distancing has certainly helped limit the spread of the virus in recent weeks, so local people can continue to help our hospitals and our amazing NHS staff by staying alert, staying at home as far as possible, and continuing to observe social distancing rules.”

They had never worked together before or even used some of the equipment.

But nurses, midwives and health care assistants came from all over Hull Royal Infirmary to work alongside administrative and ward support staff to look after people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

Some of the staff on Ward 36

Ward 36, formerly the Elderly Assessment Unit, was appointed one of the COVID-19 wards by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in March, specifically for patients requiring respiratory support.

Now, the last patient has been discharged and staff have moved to work on ward 1 while work gets under way to create a specialist hospital block for patients with COVID-19.

Senior Sister Nikki Atkinson was a sister in the Medical Day Unit when she was asked to take over as ward sister.

She said: “The Ward 36 team had never worked together before.  I came from my role as sister in the Medical Day Unit (MDU) and had never been a ward sister before.

“The other staff nurses and staff were Respiratory Specialist Nurses or worked in Endoscopy, Day Surgery, the Medical and Surgical Wards, the Site Team and Outpatient Departments throughout the trust.

“We also had a “return to practice” nurse who came back to help us through the early days of COVID-19 and two midwives.”

Respiratory Consultant Dr Shoaib Faruqi

Nikki said only a few of the staff had knowledge of respiratory conditions and had to be trained by the Respiratory Specialist Nurses to care for patients with the virus who were experiencing breathing difficulties, using non-invasive ventilation and drugs to ease their discomfort.

She said: “To set up a Respiratory Support Unit and ward for COVID-19 has been exceptionally hard but exciting in a weird sort of way.

“Only a small number of the staff had respiratory knowledge before this, never mind using the non-invasive ventilation (NIV) equipment before. But the team of Respiratory Specialist Nurses pulled together and educated the rest of the staff.

“Everybody has worked extremely hard and gained the specialist knowledge to care for the patients that we looked after on Ward 36.”

The ward has been closed temporarily to allow the completion of work on the new block for COVID-19 patients. Most of the staff have transferred to Ward 1 in the meantime, supporting the team there to  look after continuing admissions of people with the virus.

Nikki said: “I  am so proud of every single member of staff that I have had the pleasure to work alongside during this time.

“As a team, we have overcome the anxiety of not knowing what was to come and adapted every day to what was being asked of us.

“I would like to thank all the staff of Ward 36 for all support that they have given me throughout this time and the faith they showed in my leadership and direction.

“They have also coped marvellously with another move to ward 1 while we prepare for the next phase, working once more with another team again and managing yet more change and different pressures.

“All I can say they are such a wonderful set of nurses that I have had privilege to work with and I will never forget this experience.”

Ward 36 staff Kayleigh Brindle and Charlotte Riches

Beverley Geary, Chief Nurse at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH), said: “It is never easy when you’re asked to move to a new area, with people you’ve never before.

“COVID-19 has brought challenges to the NHS no one could have predicted and we’re so grateful to our staff who are stepping forward to help.

“We always said our trust was full of Remarkable People. Our response to the pandemic is proving exactly that.”

Hospital staff who came forward to help seriously ill people with COVID-19 have been praised after their ward was ‘stepped down’.

Nurses, health care assistants, doctors, admin staff, hygienists, caterers and therapists were called upon to help patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19.

During March and April, staff on Ward 16 at Castle Hill Hospital, which normally looks after patients requiring plastic surgery or treatment for breast or ENT problems, treated scores of people with the virus, including some who lost their lives.

As the weeks progressed, the ward’s 30-strong team were supported by staff from ENT Outpatients, the Breast Care Unit, Plastics Outpatients, Ophthalmology Outpatients, Ward 35, Hepatitis Clinical Nurse Specialists and Theatres.

In a message to her team, Senior Sister Melanie Jopling said: “A huge thank you to everyone that worked on Ward 16 during March and April.

“We worked together as an amazing team and we would not have achieved what we did without every one of you.

“You all gave 100 per cent and worked extremely hard during what was a very challenging time and you supported each other every step of the way. We have had positive feedback which is a credit to you all.

“Thank you again. Keep up the amazing work.”

Chief Nurse Beverley Geary: “Staff have undertaken a very difficult role these past few weeks as they dealt with a situation none of us have ever faced before.

“Many were moved to new roles and all gave the best possible care to the seriously ill and dying. They deserve our thanks and the thanks of people in Hull and the East Riding.”

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is celebrating today after the number of patients successfully treated for coronavirus and discharged from hospital has topped 300.

One of those to take on the disease and win is the amazing Liudmila Silogadze. Liudmila spent four weeks in the care of staff on Ward 36, one of the trust’s dedicated COVID wards at Hull Royal Infirmary, before leaving hospital earlier this month.

Liudmila, from Hull, was isolated from her family and really quite poorly for some time. She remained optimistic throughout her time on the ward, however, and this positive attitude coupled with the great care provided by staff have now put her back on the road to recovery.

Liudmila is one of 304 patients to be discharged from Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital after recovering from COVID-19, a figure which includes 30 patients who needed the highest level of treatment within one of the trust’s intensive care units.

Liudmila’s strength of character made her departure from Ward 36 all the more emotional as staff gathered to say goodbye, cheer her off the ward, and celebrate her return home:

Lucy Atkinson, senior nurse on Ward 36 during Liudmila’s time in hospital said:

“She had her ups and downs while on Ward 36, but Liudmila is a fighter!

“We were all in tears saying goodbye to her, we are all so proud of her for being strong and remaining positive at what must have been a very scary time for her.”

Liudmila’s daughter Natasha is full of praise for the hospital staff, and says her mum is continuing to get better day by day.

Hospital staff in East Yorkshire are celebrating the successful discharge of more than 300 patients treated for coronavirus.

The figures come just two weeks after Hull University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary (HRI) and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, announced the 200^th COVID-19 patient had recovered and gone home.

Members of the public reacted enthusiastically to the earlier figure, with one follower of the Castle Hill facebook page describing it as “wonderful news” and a HRI facebook follower saying “it really is so nice to hear something so positive after weeks of awful news… well done to all the staff on the front line, you’re doing an amazing job.”

Now a further 100 people who have been cared for at the two hospitals, including 30 patients who had received the highest level of treatment in intensive care, have been deemed well enough to leave hospital, taking the total discharged to 304.

Chief executive, Chris Long

Chris Long, chief executive of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“In the current climate, it’s the positive news that keeps many of us going. Three hundred patients successfully treated for coronavirus and now discharged home from our hospitals is another fantastic milestone. It gives us all hope, it shows that an increasing number of people are beating the virus, and it’s testament to the great care being provided by our staff.”

While the figures do paint an encouraging picture, Chris is urging the public not to become complacent.

“It’s great to see so many people recovering, but we must still remember that 130 people have died in our local hospitals with coronavirus too. COVID-19 is not to be underestimated.

“The best way to help our staff and to protect our local communities is still to stay home if you can and prevent the spread of the virus.  Social distancing really does seem to be having an impact, so we’d really urge people to continue their efforts in this respect.”

Hull’s hospitals are preparing for months of admissions of patients with COVID-19 following the first wave of cases.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) believes Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital experienced a peak of the virus on April 21, with 110 confirmed patients. Demand for critical care beds peaked on May 2 with 20 patients.

Jacqueline Myers, Director of Strategy and Planning at HUTH, said: “It is now clear that rather than experiencing a short but intense peak of COVID-19 hospital admissions, we can expect a prolonged period of relatively small levels of activity.”

In response, the trust is reconfiguring its hospital beds again to provide a smaller, dedicated facility for patients with COVID-19. Some wards identified as COVID-19 wards will now be returned to their original purpose for people with other illnesses and injuries not related to the virus.

A new receiving area for those suspected of having COVID-19 and beds for people confirmed to have the infection will be part of a new ward block at the back of Hull Royal Infirmary for up to 64 patients.

The new facility is expected to be completed by mid-June. In addition, a dedicated COVID-19 critical care facility for up to 14 patients with the most severe forms of the illness will be opened.

Every patient admitted to Hull Royal infirmary or Castle Hill Hospital is tested for COVID-19, regardless of whether they are showing symptoms or not, and a revised plan will be brought into action if there is any surge in COVID-19 illness over the coming months.

New ways of working have already been introduced during the pandemic to deliver care while keeping face-to-face contact and travel to a minimum for patients.  Teams are currently evaluating those changes to keep the ones providing the biggest benefits to staff and patients.

The trust, part of the Humber, Coast and Vale Integrated Care System (ICS), is also  working with other health and care organisations across the region to cope with pandemic in the months ahead.

Ms Myers said the uncertainty associated with any pandemic made planning “extremely difficult” as the situation could change day by day.

She said: “We are used to planning with a level of uncertainty in the health service but we have never dealt with the level of uncertainly we are dealing with currently.

“However, we are working closely with our clinical teams to ensure we create the best possible arrangements to care for both COVID-19 and other patients who need our services over the coming months.”

Hospital bosses has managed to see almost half of its patients awaiting outpatient appointments despite the impact of COVID-19 on the NHS.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had to cancel services including non-urgent appointments and routine operations in line with hospitals around the country in response to COVID-19.

At a meeting of the trust board today, board members heard around 50 per cent of outpatient appointments have still gone ahead, with almost two-thirds of follow-up appointments taking place. All urgent cancer treatment has still gone ahead.

However, there are now 85 patients waiting more than 52 weeks for treatment, with 83 of those reported in March alone when the cancellations were introduced.

The ‘thank you NHS’ message at the entrance to Argyle Street car park

Chief Operating Officer Teresa Cope told the board: “The impact of COVID-19 has been significant.

“On March 11, the trust moved into Incident Command status to respond to the Covid-19 Pandemic. This required the trust, in accordance with national guidance, to take a number of actions to prepare for receiving high volumes of patients with suspected and confirmed coronavirus.

“This included ceasing all routine out-patient, diagnostic and elective activity. In addition, other restrictions were placed on other activity and diagnostics tests which are Aerosol Generating Procedures (AGPs).”

Only 80 per cent of patients could be scanned or scoped within the target of six weeks during March and national guidance, which required endoscopy and CT colonoscopy work to cease for all patients except emergencies, will continue to mean increased numbers of patients waiting for diagnostics tests.

Fewer people have been referred to hospital for urgent tests and appointments by their GPs since the ‘lock down’ measures were introduced by the Government on March 23.

However, there were positives.

In February, the two-week target for people undergoing tests for cancer was achieved and 92 per cent of women referred for breast cancer investigations were seen within a fortnight against a 93 per cent target.

ED performance was 89 per cent last month, just short of the target of seeing 95 per cent of patients within four hours, mainly due to the decrease in the number of people coming to the department.

No patient had to wait on a trolley for 12 hours or longer for the whole of 2019/20.

Mrs Cope praised the “exceptional work” undertaken by staff in health groups who are introducing innovative measures such as video and telephone clinics to ensure patients can still be seen as safely as possible.

Nurses Day celebrations take place every year on 12^th May, but in 2020, there’s even more reason than usual to celebrate the contribution nurses make in our society.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s nursing staff have been central to the hospitals’ COVID-19 response in recent weeks, working round-the-clock in areas such as intensive care, emergency care and infection control to provide the best care possible for patients.

But nursing staff can be found in all areas of Castle Hill Hospital and Hull Royal Infirmary, as well as community clinics too. The Trust employs research nurses, children’s nurses, and nurse specialists who are experts in a particular illness or condition such as diabetes, stroke or heart failure. Then there are respiratory nurses, nurses who manage organ donation, and advanced nurse practitioners, who undergo extra training to work at a higher clinical level.

In total, the Trust employs more than 2,600 registered nurses and almost 1,200 healthcare assistants, without whom the organisation would be lost.

Beverley Geary, Chief Nurse for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“Nurses Day is always a great opportunity for us to pause, reflect and really appreciate the contribution our nurses make to our organisation.

“With the arrival of the COVID-19, it’s no longer just ourselves who are truly seeing the value of our nursing staff. We’ve received so many donations and offers of support in recent weeks for them, and now with the weekly Clap for Carers, our communities are also showing a renewed understanding and appreciation for all that they do.

“It can be physically and emotionally challenging at times, but a career in nursing is so rewarding and provides so many different opportunities to progress and to specialise.

“I’m proud to be a nurse and would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our nursing staff for their care, compassion and dedication, not just now, but every single day of the year.”

The bespoke design for Hull nurses by Helena Mackevych

One of the kind gestures shown to the trust has come from Sheffield-based Helena Mackevych. Illustrator Helena has designed and donated a stunning piece of artwork which thanks all nurses and midwives at the Trust. Two prints of Helena’s work will be framed and displayed around the hospitals.

Helena says:

“I wanted to create this because I’m so grateful to everyone in the NHS for everything they do all the time, and even more so at the moment. They are taking such risks to take care of us all; such amazing and courageous people.”

Beverley adds:

“Helena’s design is just stunning, and will serve not only as a lasting reminder of the current situation, but as an ongoing thank you and show of appreciation for the work of our nurses and midwives.

“We’d really like to thank Helena for donating her time and her effort, the illustration really is beautiful.”