Doctor captures extraordinary behind-the-scenes photos of hospital’s battle against coronavirus
A doctor has captured extraordinary behind-the-scenes photos of a hospital’s battle against coronavirus.
Dr Matthew Jones’s images show the “courage” and “commitment” of his colleagues at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough during the outbreak.
Medial staff across the country were under huge strain as cases peaked in April.
Dr Jones said: “The atmosphere in the intensive care unit was amazing.
“You sensed the strong bonds that existed between them all, a real spirit of care for each other’s welfare.”
Dr Jones added: “I think the photos do a little justice to the stresses and pressure of the environment, but also the immense humanity on display as staff made such an effort to build bonds with the patients despite the obstacles they faced.
“To spend the time they did in personal protective equipment and in such heightened stress and emotion was an incredible effort, and to do so with humour, good spirit and such team spirit even more so.”
Dr Jones decided to document what was happening in the critical care unit, having worked in South Sudan in 2018 where he used photography to understand the experience of working in an environment where things happened so quickly.
He said: “It gave a means to pause and reflect and find answers, and continues to do so even now.
“I wanted to offer that simple resource to staff in intensive care at James Cook, so they could process events and move forward with a sense of what they had achieved.”
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