Coronavirus: Buildings at St James' Hospital could be opened in Covid-19 pandemic response

Solent NHS staff are part of the fight against Covid-19 in the community in Portsmouth.

They are supporting the public, as the number of cases in the city has risen to 50, as well as working on plans to relieve pressure on the city’s hospital, including looking at reopening part of St James’ Hospital in Milton to provide more beds.

Natalie Mounter from Southsea is a specialist nurse in infectious diseases and previously travelled to Sierra Leone to help in the Ebola outbreak.

She has been out in the community testing people for Covid-19 including individuals in care homes and prisons.

The 37-year-old told The News: ‘I have been going to care homes and also prisons to test people and I have also been training others on how to do it so we can grow our team.

‘Testing can take quite a long time as there needs to be two of us and we have to go through a special order to put all our PPE (personal protective equipment) on to make sure we are protected.

‘We then explain that we are going to swab the throat and nostrils which can be painful and often makes people gag and their eyes stream.

‘It can be quite scary for people to see us in our suits as we do look quite alien-like and it is a stressful and anxious time already but we talk through social distancing with them and give them advice as well.’

Specialist nurse served for three years in Ebola crisis

Back in 2014, Natalie quit her job and went to Sierra Leone to help out with the Ebola crisis for three years and she said the experience has given her skills she is putting into practice now.

She added: ‘I don’t think for a minute that Ebola and Covid-19 are the same, Ebola has a much higher mortality rate, but there are similarities.

‘I think working out there has given me some experience of how to deal with a virus and it is key to remain calm. It has also really made me think about how we use resources as out in Sierra Leone they could be limited.

‘We are nowhere near that but I think given that everyone is needing to use PPE at the moment that we think about how best to use the resources we have.’

Co-ordinating the effort to find more beds and ensure there are resources, is Mark Young, who is head of estates at Solent NHS Trust.

The team has been working to look at where more beds can be found including St James’ Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital.

Mark said: ‘The team working more behind the scenes are in charge of moving people around the system to free up capacity where it is most needed.

‘We are currently looking at opening up some of the buildings at St James’ Hospital which means that if more beds are needed then we are ready.’

Construction companies and suppliers have left the team overwhelmed with their response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mark said: ‘In what is a truly awful time, the way people have responded has been amazing.

‘Patient safety is always the focus and we always have to follow NHS guidelines but the way people have galvanised means that the process is being made quicker.

‘We have had companies asking us what they can do for us to help out and barriers have come down everywhere.’

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Supporting mental health

The impact of Covid-19 isn’t just affecting people’s physical health but also their mental wellbeing.

Dave Burniston from Talking Change is a psychotherapist and has seen first-hand the anxiety it is causing for some of the public.

The 29-year-old from Portsmouth said: ‘More clients have been talking to me about some of the anxiety that the virus is causing them and I think my advice to everyone in general is not to focus on what you can’t control.

‘It is in our nature to want to be in control but it can feel like you are being overwhelmed by a wave and instead it is better to ride the wave.

‘Our minds often see the worst case scenario and to try and control that I would say try bringing yourself back to the here and now and talk yourself through what you can hear and see around you.’

The team, which offers free emotional support services in Portsmouth, has adapted to new government guidelines around social distancing and are continuing to carry out their work over the phone or on video chat.

Dave said: ‘We have really tried to ensure that there has been minimal disruption to our clients as that is really important.

‘There is also a lot of help online about how to manage feelings and we have YouTube videos on mindfulness which can help.

‘I think it is also important to remember to allow yourself to feel what you want and not feel like you have to feel a certain way.’

Rapid response team seeing ‘worried’ patients

Gemma Hannay is a community nurse and is part of the Portsmouth Rapid Response Team and has been ensuring patients at home get the care they need.

The 39-year-old from Portsmouth said: ‘We are still going out to see our patients and trying to keep people in their homes to reduce pressure on the hospitals.

‘Our patients are understandably worried about having to go into hospital at the moment but we are giving them support and advice.’

Gemma, who also works at Queen Alexandra Hospital in an in-reach role, added: ‘I think the teamwork that everyone has shown has been amazing.

‘Personally we have a great team that boosts each other when needed and we have had people rotate into our service for different roles but everyone has been so eager to crack on and do their best which is what the NHS is about.’