The boss of the Barts and London hospital trust has paid tribute to NHS heroes working to care for patients during the coronavirus crisis, as a charity pledges £250,000 to support them.
Alwen Williams said medics, nurses and other hospital workers are doing everything they can to prepare for the virus.
The Barts NHS Health Trust has recorded 11 deaths from coronavirus, according to the Health Service Journal.
Ms Williams, who is trust’s CEO tweeted: “Words fail me as I see how hard our teams are working round the clock to ensure that @NHSBartsHealth is as prepared as we can be #COVID19 .
“Thanks @BartsHospital @NewhamHospital @WhippsCrossHosp @RoyalLondonHosp @CSS_BH & all our group directors. Awesome team work.”
The trust includes Barts – the only hospital in the Square Mile – which is also the UK’s oldest medical centre, where generations of health workers have provided continuous care on the site since 1123.
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It is now the home of one of the busiest heart attack centres in the country and is also a centre of excellence for cancer care.
The Barts Charity is the latest to set up a fund to support frontline staff as the NHS faces “the biggest challenge in 72 years.”
The team said “We have never been prouder to support our dedicated staff at the Barts Health NHS hospitals who are working on the frontline in response to the COVID-19 crisis.”
And they explained how staff are “going the extra mile, every day, to take care of us and our loved ones despite being under extreme pressure. They need our support more than ever.”
The charity has already pledged £250,000 to help the trust’s staff and if there’s money left over it will be ploughed into future care.
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