NHS nurse warns hospitals are 'overwhelmed' with deaths and urges people to stay inside
8 April 2020, 08:05
An NHS nurse on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus has warned hospital morgues are "so overwhelmed with deaths they can't cope'.
Sally Goodright usually works as a podiatry assistant in Richmond, but has been redrafted to the West Middlesex Hospital to help with the growing numbers of Covid-19 patients.
But as more and more people began to succumb to the virus, she and her colleagues had to take 40 bodies to makeshift morgues which have been built in the car park.
In an emotional post on social media, Ms Goodright wrote: "After the morning delivering urgent care to diabetic patients I was asked to join a team to help out the staff in the mortuary at West Mid Hospital.
"The staff are so overwhelmed with deaths that they can't cope. Two large fridges have been placed in the carpark because the mortuary is full.
"So along with 2 Podiatric Surgeons, a Podiatric Professor, two Audiologists and myself we ferried 40 bodies from the morgue to the fridges.
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"The fridges are situated the other side of the hospital so we had to work in pairs to get the heavy, bulky trolleys across. All of the dead were still infectious so full PPE was needed, it was hot and sweaty but being fully aware of how important the PPE is we had to persevere for hours on end.
"It all got particularly upsetting when I saw names of patients I treat on a regular basis and names of peoples loved ones that I was unaware had died. We ran out of body bags but still the dead were arriving from the wards.
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"Everyone is doing such a fantastic job and really working as a team from surgeons, porters, cleaners and the brilliant crew that are making sure the fridges are in situ and in full working order."
But while she and her colleagues put themselves in danger every day, others are not staying at home to ensure the risk to the NHS workers are kept to a minimum.
Despite measures brought in two weeks ago telling everyone to stay at home to halt the spread of infection, thousands have been pictured in London and around the country ignoring the stay at home rules to bask in the sunshine.
Ms Goodright shared her incredulity at their actions and said: "This morning I saw families setting up equipment for circuit training on Twickenham Green and on my way home I saw families in Radnor Gardens setting up badminton nets and others playing football.
"What part of STAY AT HOME. SAVE LIVES do these people not understand?
"This really isn't essential exercise. Pop on a Joe Wicks workout and stay indoors. We're tired and I get that staying in is grim but it's so very important. Please, please stay at home.
"I want to go back to my old life. I miss my patients who don't need urgent care but have to stay indoors. I miss visiting my housebound patients that need routine care as we're only delivering urgent care for the foreseeable. DO THE RIGHT THING!"
