The last year has been tough for staff at York Hospital. They have faced long, gruelling hours working in full PPE. They’ve worried about their health and their families. And they’ve had to watch patients die.

Today, hospital chief executive Simon Morritt paid tribute to his staff. “I am incredibly proud of them all,” he said. “The last year has been one of unprecedented challenge, and time after time I have been humbled by the spirit, dedication and commitment of everyone in this Trust.”

So how has the hospital managed to cope in this most difficult of years? A year on from first lockdown, we put a series of questions to hospital bosses…

York Press:

How was the hospital able to help staff keep their morale up during a difficult year?

“Early on in the pandemic, we provided a free packed lunch to all staff and a free hot meal for staff working in hot Covid-19 areas, at a time when doing supermarket shopping was problematic, and when it was difficult for staff working in Covid-19 wards to leave the clinical area to get food.

“The York Teaching Hospital Charity delivered care boxes to wards and departments throughout the Trust. Each box contained plentiful supplies of goods such as tea, coffee, soups and a variety of biscuits.

“We introduced calm rooms - spaces for staff to take a short break, access refreshments, read, talk or just sit and relax. And an occupational health / psychology helpline and psychology drop-in sessions were provided to help support staff. We are also offering confidential coaching conversations.

“Looking ahead, we are using some of our charitable funds to design and plan gardens around the Trust to create spaces for everyone - staff, patients and families - to enjoy.”

How did you cope with ‘surges’ in cases?

“Throughout the pandemic, we have had robust plans in place which detail when and how to release additional beds and staff to convert wards into ‘Covid wards’ and create additional critical care capacity when needed. Our plans have involved releasing additional beds and staff to ensure that we have as many beds available as possible to care for Covid patients as and when the infection peaks. Many staff are redeployed to help with surges in the number of patients being admitted with Covid.”

York Press:

York Hospital matron (senior nurse) Michael Mawhinney at the entrance to a ward

How did you manage to keep Covid areas and non-Covid areas separate?

“Early in the pandemic, we implemented national infection prevention and control guidance which means we keep Covid and non-Covid patients separate, for example swabbing patients prior to admission, asking patients to isolate before a procedure and testing patients during their hospital stay.”

It has been important to maintain as many other hospital activities as possible. How have you done this?

“As with all hospitals during the first wave, planned care (where the treatment is not clinically urgent) was paused for three months, so everyone on the waiting list for planned care at that time was affected.

“In the most recent wave, however, only a small number of operations were postponed.

“We have continued with day case surgery and carried out as many urgent operations as we could. We have also offered a greater number of video and phone appointments.

“The majority of cancer services were maintained as far as possible through the height of the first wave of the pandemic although we did see a drop in referrals, most likely as a result of patients not going to their GP. Cancer surgery and chemotherapy treatment was maintained through partnership working, for example with the Nuffield Hospital.

“During the recovery from the first wave we started restoring all services. Diagnostic services have recommenced, and surgery and chemotherapy has moved back to York Hospital. National guidance has meant that capacity has been reduced due to the implementation of Covid-19 safe procedures, but the services are operational.

“Again working with independent sector colleagues, we were able to move some other services completely off our hospital sites, such as Cystic Fibrosis and Heart Failure, which allowed them to continue.”

During the course of the pandemic, how many hospital staff developed Covid?

“Last week, our overall Trust absence was 5.57 per cent, of which a third of people were absent due to Covid. The overall absence figure, and the proportion of absence due to Covid, has gone up and down throughout the pandemic.”

Have you been regularly testing staff for Covid?

“We introduced testing for staff with symptoms to quickly confirm whether they had Covid. In November 2020 we also introduced lateral flow testing for all patient-facing staff, students and those who work in clinical areas.

“From April 2021 onwards, we will be offering LAMP ((Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification) testing for all asymptomatic staff. LAMP technology tests saliva for signs of the virus. It is highly accurate, produces fast results and does not require a follow-up PCR swab test to confirm diagnosis.”

York Press:

Maternity services at York Hospital were maintained throughout the pandemic

Have there been any Covid-related deaths among York Hospital Trust staff?

“Yes, sadly, Dr Abdel Wahab Babiker who worked at Scarborough Hospital. Dr Ed Smith, the Director of Acute, Emergency and Elderly Medicine at Scarborough, described Dr Babiker as an ‘extremely energetic, hard-working, approachable and dedicated doctor’. He is sorely missed.

“There have been no staff deaths at York Hospital.”

How do waiting lists now compare to waiting lists at the start of the first lockdown?

“At the end of February 2021, the Trust’s waiting list was actually five per cent lower than it was at the end of March 2020. However, patients on waiting lists are waiting longer for treatment as we are able to offer fewer appointments within the current constraints.

“The number of patients on individual waiting lists varies by the nature of the specialty. The length of time a patient waits also depends on their specific treatment and their clinical needs.

“We are actively planning now how we can safely restore services, and we are working with NHS England, in line with other trusts, to develop an operational plan.

“However, the world in which we live has changed rapidly over the last year. The reality is that many patients will have to wait longer for appointments and we will be able to offer fewer appointments within the current constraints. How we manage care will change and appointments may look different for many. This is the ‘new normal’.

“We have risk-assessed every patient on our waiting lists to ensure we prioritise patients on the basis of their clinical needs. These decisions have been made by clinical staff.”