James Cook Hospital doctor spends “torrid” few days “trying to keep people alive and failing”

A Covid-19 doctor at James Cook University Hospital says he has spent a “torrid” few days “desperately trying to keep people alive but failing”.

In a blog post which urges the public to stay at home, intensive care consultant Richard Cree also reveals that a ward at the Friarage Hospital has now been dedicated to treat patients with the coronavirus.

Mr Cree said seven wards at James Cook in Middlesbrough had also been set aside for Covid patients as pressure increases due to the new variant.

He said in the blog: “Across the country, infection rates are relentlessly rising.

“It is estimated that 1 in 50 people in England were infected in the week after Christmas.

“Locally, case numbers appear to have risen significantly in all areas as has the number of COVID patients being admitted to the hospital.

“We have now set aside seven wards for COVID patients at James Cook and one ward at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.

“We have seen a number of new admissions to Critical Care but, sadly, we have also had a few deaths meaning our patient numbers have remained relatively static.”

Mr Cree revealed that the North East and Yorkshire region was currently at nearly 80 per cent of total critical care capacity, while London and the South East was at 130 per cent.

He added: “Of course, this picture does not tell the full story.

“Critical care beds are classified as either level 2 (high-dependency beds) or level 3 (intensive care, ventilated beds).

“The important distinction between the two is not whether there is a ventilator by the bed, but rather the number of nurses required for each patient.

“One Critical Care nurse can look after two level 2 patients but only one level 3 patient.

“So, the more ventilated patients you admit, the more nurses you need. It’s therefore possible to still be ‘within capacity’ despite using up all your nursing staff to look after an increased number of ventilated patients.”

The doctor said the situation was only going to get worse.

“We know that the next two weeks are likely to be very busy.

“There is nothing now that can be done about this.

“The people who will be admitted to critical care over the next fortnight will already have been infected.

“Many of them will already have symptoms and some will be experiencing breathlessness.

“A few days later they may be admitted to hospital for oxygen therapy and then perhaps go on to join the growing number of patients receiving CPAP on the wards.

“If they are unlucky they may end up being transferred to the ICU as their condition worsens and, if CPAP fails, they may require intubation and ventilation. Subsequently, many of these patients will not survive.”

The doctor said that in preparation for what was coming, all elective surgery at the Friarage Hospital had been cancelled for the next eight weeks.

Some of this work will now be undertaken at the James Cook site but many patients will have their surgery postponed.

Theatre staff will join their colleagues at James Cook and many of them will be redeployed to critical care for short periods of time in order to allow us to adequately staff the extra beds.

Mr Cree said NHS staff did not known when they would to feel the effects of this lockdown and how quickly new hospital admissions would fall.

“There is no doubt that we are in for a stormy time.

“The new variant of the virus is significantly more infectious and it is unlikely that this lockdown will be as successful as the one that took place during March last year.

“Of course, any lockdown will ultimately only be as effective as we make it so everyone needs to play their part.”

He added: “I have spent a torrid few days desperately trying to keep people alive and failing.

“We have all seen far too many people die. Please, please stay at home.”

Mr Cree revealed there had been a total of 396 deaths linked to Covid since the start of the pandemic at James Cook Hospital.

He said there was currently 141 Covid-19 cases currently within South Tees Hospitals Trust – 141

Of these, there were 21 – including 13 being ventilated – in critical care at James Cook.