Twin sisters return from maternity leave to help on the front line at Queen Alexandra Hospital

Sisters Caroline McCrea and Francesca O’Brien had their babies one day apart and now the pair are leaving their nine-month-old children at home to help colleagues at Queen Alexandra Hospital.

An advanced critical care practitioner in intensive care, Caroline waved off husband Alastair and son Josh as she returned to work at the beginning of the month.

Francesca, a doctor, joined her in the ICU, leaving daughter Willow at home.

Both sisters were understandably too busy to speak with The News but were keen to share their stories.

Alastair said: ‘It’s been an intense experience for Caroline and Francesca.

‘After Caroline’s first shift, she came home shell shocked at the level of patients coming into the hospital and just how sick they are.

‘With both our parents in the vulnerable and elderly category and lack of nurseries available this is a tough time for us.’

Alastair added the hardest part for the pair has been the impact of the protective clothing and masks the hospital staff have to wear.

‘This effectively removes the human element of nursing and care as the only personal contact is via the eyes. This is particularly striking because the patients are not able to have any contact with their loved ones during this time’, he added.

Alastair decided he wanted to support them by raising money through a charity auction for Queen Alexandra Hospital and Royal Surrey Hospital, where Joshua was born.

He works at Ewbank’s Auctioneers in Surrey, where he heads the entertainment and sporting memorabilia department.

He said: ‘I have appealed for people to donate experiences rather than objects because I also want to support businesses where possible to help them get back on their feet after all of this, and I think it would be nice for people in lockdown to have an outing to look forward to.

‘We have free tickets for the Guildford Flames ice hockey, signed football shirts from Fulham and Cardiff City Football clubs, as well as a selection of exclusive artworks and tickets for this year’s panto in Portsmouth.’

Ewbank’s Rainbow Charity Auction, a timed online auction will run from Friday, May 8 to the close of play on Monday, May 18.

For more information visit ewbankauctions.co.uk

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