Bath NHS staff share heartbreaking stories of treating COVID

A 12-minute video of staff sharing their most vivid memories from the pandemic has been released to mark Dying Matters Awareness Week

Staff at the RUH have been sharing their stories of treating people terminally ill with coronavirus
Author: James DiamondPublished 19th May 2021

Just how hard has it been working in the NHS through the pandemic?

It's a question we've all wondered at some point and now we've been given a bit of an insight thanks to staff at the Royal United Hospital in Bath.

The Trust has released a 12-minute video featuring some of their most heartbreaking stories of treating patients dying with coronavirus.

It's been put out to mark Dying Matters Awareness Week.

If you want to watch the video you can do so below, but be aware you may find its content distressing:

Helen Meehan, RUH Lead Nurse for Palliative and End of Life Care said: "Caring for people nearing end of life and supporting their families is one of the most important things we do here at the RUH.

"We are so incredibly thankful to the staff that shared their very personal experiences of caring for patients and families during the pandemic.

"The film is so powerful and so moving, and we feel it could help staff from across the trust and other hospitals to reflect and talk about how it has been for them."

The video, called "Caring to the very end" was originally made as a staff learning resource and to help staff with their mental wellbeing, but it had such a big response when it was shared internally that it is now being shown to a wider audience.

As well as with the public, it will now be shared with the South West Palliative and End of Life Care Network and organisations for improving patient care and providing healthcare staff with practical and emotional support.

The Trust says it hopes it will allow more people to hear "first hand" what was happening in the RUH during the height of lockdown.

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