Front line workers at Malton Community Hospital give thanks for generous community donations

Key workers at the Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust have received a whole host of wonderful gifts and donations over recent weeks.

Speaking to Fiona Scott and Dr George Castle, we learned more about how staff at Malton Community Hospital are coping during this challenging time, and how the generous gifts and donations brighten their days.

How are you and your team handling the COVID-19 crisis?

The team as a whole are handling this situation very well. Morale is high and the whole team is working together to help align services and ensure everything continues to run smoothly.

There have been many changes, but people are acclimatising really well.

Additionally, third year HYMS medical students have stayed on, on a voluntary basis, to help, and two continuing healthcare nurses have come in from the community to work as discharge nurses, helping to improve outflow. We are really grateful to our staff for being so adaptable and dedicated.

Infection Prevention and Control have been very proactive in keeping us updated. Medical presence has increased substantially during the week. And of course our facilities team have been great - providing staff with meals and the food brought in from the community.

How has the outbreak affected your day to day tasks?

Substantially. Junior doctors who are usually placed between locations are now working full time at the Hospital. We are always seeking ways to take care of our patients, but this is especially prevalent during this time.

The situation changes every day with regards to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) guidance. Our role in the outbreak continues to change as we find out how we can best help the acute hospitals nearby.

PPE was a huge adjustment initially and posed a challenge as all of our staff needed to be fit tested and have updated training. The wonderful thing is that we have all the PPE we need and we get daily updates from the Trust about stock levels and how best to use the PPE provided.

As doctors, it has changed the way we work and the treatment our patients get as we have to take in to account additional risks. We have had to try to reduce our own exposure and exposure of other staff where appropriate.

After the crisis, it would be nice to see this enhanced team working.

What would you say you have learned so far, from this experience?

We have learned how adaptable our NHS staff really are. There’s also been an incredible amount of support for one another.

It’s natural that there is a fair amount of staff anxiety, but our teams have been extremely understanding and supportive of one another.  

What helps you along the way?

Well, we are extremely humbled by the amount of support from the local Malton communities and also from national organisations.

We would like to take this opportunity to extend a huge thank you for all of the items donated to our Hospital during this time. We have received so many wonderful gifts, it’s hard to keep track! Your generosity has blown all of us here away and we simply feel so appreciated. It really helps.

We also want to say thank you for all of the amazing pictures we have been sent from children as well. They really brighten our day, and look how wonderfully colourful our Fitzwilliam ward looks now! Thank you all.

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