Hospital bosses 'truly humbled by effort and energy' of Scarborough Hospital staff fighting coronavirus

Simon Morritt, Chief Executive of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said he has been 'truly humbled' by the efforts of NHS staff in the Trust's hospitals.

He said: "I have visited our emergency departments, critical care wards and the wards that will care for patients with Covid-19 in both Scarborough and York Hospitals, and I am truly humbled by the effort and energy of everyone who is working hard to make sure we are ready."

Preparations for the outbreak began at Scarborough Hospital some time ago, starting with the creation of a Coronavirus isolation pod and drive through testing service to reduce the chance of people with suspected symptoms spreading the virus.

Lilac ward was also transformed into an isolation ward where patients being treated for, or with suspected symptoms of, Covid-19 can be kept separate to the hospital's other patients.

This will help to reduce transmission of the illness.

Mr Morritt also paid tribute to the rest of the Trust's staff, beyond just the clinicians.

He added: "We know of course that our NHS family goes beyond our front line clinical staff, and I doubt there is anyone who works for this trust who hasn’t been contributing to this effort.

"Each and every one of the team deserves our thanks and appreciation for the work they are doing, and will continue to do in the weeks to come.”

Sue Symington, Chair of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, added: “I thank all of our staff, in every role, for their extraordinary work over the last few weeks as the extent of this global pandemic has become clearer.

"I have absolute faith in the remarkable teams which make up our trust, and this faith remains just as strong in this time of great concern for us all.

"Our Board of Directors recognises that these are challenging times for us all, professionally and also personally, and our aim is to provide the very best support we can to all of our staff whilst they work hard to care for our patients.”

The Scarborough News would like to shine a light on the NHS heroes in our community - if you are an NHS worker or know someone who deserves praise please email [email protected].

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