• UK
  • World
    • USA
  • Entertainment
    • Celeb
    • Showbiz
    • Magazine
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Science
    • Education
  • Insurance
  • Business
  • Auto
  • ToS/Contact
    • ToS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
NewsExplored
  • UK
  • World
    • USA
  • Entertainment
    • Celeb
    • Showbiz
    • Magazine
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Science
    • Education
  • Insurance
  • Business
  • Auto
  • ToS/Contact
    • ToS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • LinkedIn

  • Tumblr

  • RSS

UK

Covid: ‘While I was in hospital I lost my daughter-in-law’

Covid: ‘While I was in hospital I lost my daughter-in-law’
Newsexplored
9th February 2021
5
SHARES
ShareTweet
SubscribeRedditGoogleWhatsappStumbleuponPinterestDiggLinkedinTumblrTelegram
Views:
0

By Mark Hutchings
BBC Radio 5 Live

media captionCovid patients describe what it’s like to be cared for in Llanelli’s field hospital

“I feel so sorry because I’m 20 years older and I’m still here”.

Betty Tovey, 94, was being treated at a field hospital for Covid-19 when her daughter-in-law died with the virus.

Now she is ready to go home after six weeks, Betty is looking forward to returning to Penygroes, but it is an occasion marked with sadness.

She and other patients have spoken to BBC 5Live, which was given extensive access inside the temporary hospital, housed in a Llanelli bowling centre.

“I kept praying, please God let me go home to them, but unfortunately she was taken,” Betty continued.

image captionBetty Tovey, 94, says she needs to get home to her son who has lost his wife to the virus

She shared her story along with a series of other patients at the Carmarthenshire facility, in the week the number of deaths with coronavirus in Wales passed 5,000.

On the last six weeks, she said: “I don’t remember a lot, there’s lots of things I’d like to remember.

“I just wanted to go to sleep, but thankfully the Lord doesn’t want me yet, I’ve got to go home and help my son, he’s lost his wife.”

data-ad-format="auto">

image captionPatients in the hospital are treated to try and get them ready to go home

When the coronavirus pandemic struck nearly a year ago, facilities all over the country from sports stadia to theatres were rapidly converted into field hospitals, in a bid to relieved the pressure on hospital wards across Wales.

About 12 weeks ago, Hywel Dda University Health Board opened Ysbyty Enfys Selwyn Samuel in Llanelli and Ysbyty Enfys Carreg Las in Pembrokeshire, as a “step-down” facilities to help ease pressure on hospital beds.


At the Selwyn Samuel centre the bowling floor has been transformed into a “recovery” hospital ward with 42 patients being treated, mostly in the final stages of recovering from Covid-19.

Staff working here are helping to get patients – many of them elderly – back up on their feet, eating and drinking, and doing laps of the bowling floor, ready for the day they can go home.

‘If I could help out, why not?’

image captionCeri-Ann Jones says she enjoys talking to the patients and treats them like they are a “part of the family”

Ceri-Ann Jones was getting ready for a shift in a pub when the first nationwide lockdown was announced, on 23 March.

Now, after hearing the pressure the NHS has been under, she is helping care for Betty and other patients after starting work as a domestic assistant on the ward.

“I thought I was fit and healthy, to a degree, and when Covid started kicking off… if you could get your hands dirty and help out, why not?”.

Ceri-Ann said that working on the ward had opened her eyes and she now wanted to train to become a nurse, to keep caring for people in the future.

image captionStaff said it was hard to see people breaking rules when they saw the impact of Covid on people’s lives

She said she would like to bring people who did not believe Covid-19 existed on to the ward to see the lasting impact on patients’ and staffs’ lives.

“I look at it and think, if my parents or my grandparents were in this situation, how would I want them to be treated, “she said.

“It’s knowing you’ve made a difference… why wouldn’t you want to put a smile on someone’s face.”

‘I couldn’t be looked after better’

image captionCharles Hughes said his son told him he had been ill in hospital, but he did not remember a thing

Charles Hughes spent about three weeks in hospital, but said he had been told about it by his son and does not remember “a day” of his time there.

But, the 88-year-old said he felt like he was getting better in the hospital.

“I’m well looked after, it’s a palace… with the staff, with the food, everything, I couldn’t be better well looked after,” he said.

‘Rewarding but challenging’

image captionSenior Nurse Manager Sarah Williams said working at the field hospital could be tough but there were so many positives

Sarah Williams, a nurse of 32-years, never imagined working in a ward inside a bowling centre, but working with the patients – more than 100 of whom have been treated in 12 weeks – was very rewarding.

While it had been positive helping people get ready to go home, the work had been “challenging at times”, especially with some of her family also contacting the virus.

“There are some really sad stories but there are a lot of positives as well,” she said.

“The focus is getting them up and about, eating and drinking, giving them that extra care that they need before they go home to the care setting.

“It’s a very positive experience for the patients to get that extra bit of care before they go home.”

‘Easing pressure on hospitals’

image captionDr Meinir Jones said she hoped the facility would be able to close sometime this year

Dr Meinir Jones, field hospitals clinical lead, said facilities like this field hospital, used to provide an extra level of care before a patient is discharged, were what was needed to “maintain flow” in hospitals.

The model is different from England’s Nightingale Hospital approach, which were temporary hospitals used to provide critical care for patients.

She said that while the Llanelli facility could not be used for intensive care, because of workforce issues and technical medical equipment, it had helped to ease pressure.

“It’s not just how long a patient spends in intensive care, it’s about what happens afterwards… they spend a lot longer on wards afterwards,” she said.

“I think we have in Wales been able to successfully adopt that step-down model.”

Related Topics

More on this story

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Related

Related Itemscoviddaughterhospitalwhile
UK
9th February 2021
Newsexplored @newsexploredweb

Related Itemscoviddaughterhospitalwhile

More in UK

  • Read More
    Furlough support scheme to be extended until September

    Views:0 image copyrightGetty Images The government is to announce it is extending the furlough scheme until the...

    Newsexplored 9th February 2021
  • Read More
    Welsh budget 2021: £1.1bn extra confirmed in new spending plans

    Views:0 image captionThe Welsh Government will have just over £17bn to spend in the next financial year...

    Newsexplored 9th February 2021
  • Read More
    In pictures: Scotland’s stunning sunset

    Views:0 People from across Scotland were treated to a stunning sunset on Monday, with a lucky few...

    Newsexplored 9th February 2021
  • Read More
    World Cup 2030: UK and Republic of Ireland associations back UK government support for bid

    Views:0 Wembley Stadium will host the final of Euro 2020 in June 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson...

    Newsexplored 9th February 2021
  • Read More
    Tourism hotspots hit hard by Covid-19 jobs crisis

    Views:0 image copyrightReuters Parts of the UK reliant on tourism have been most affected by the Covid-19...

    Newsexplored 9th February 2021
  • Read More
    The Papers: Digital travel passes and ‘prayers for Philip’

    Views:0 By BBC NewsStaff image captionEuropean leaders have pledged that a vaccination passport scheme will be open...

    Newsexplored 9th February 2021
  • Read More
    Trainer banned in Britain after dead horse picture

    Views:0 Gordon Elliott has trained more than 140 winners this season and is second to Willie Mullins...

    Newsexplored 9th February 2021
  • Read More
    Newspaper headlines: ‘Race to stop Brazil variant’ and jabs pass 20m

    Views:0 By BBC NewsStaff image captionSeveral of Monday’s papers lead with the mutant Brazilian variant being found...

    Newsexplored 9th February 2021
  • Read More
    Glenn Roeder: Former West Ham and Newcastle manager dies aged 65

    Views:0 Roeder’s managerial break came as Gillingham player-manager in 1992 Former Watford, West Ham, Newcastle and Norwich...

    Newsexplored 9th February 2021
  • Read More
    Newspaper headlines: Sunak’s ‘tax raid’ and ‘goodnight Captain Tom’

    Views:0 By BBC NewsStaff image captionSeveral papers lead with Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s upcoming Budget announcement on Wednesday....

    Newsexplored 9th February 2021
  • Read More
    Six Nations: Wales beat England 40-24 to take Triple Crown

    Views:0 Wales: (17) 40 Tries: Adams, L Williams, Hardy, Hill Cons: Biggar 2, Sheedy 2 Pens: Biggar,...

    Newsexplored 9th February 2021
  • Read More
    Wales aim to clinch Triple Crown against England

    Views:0 Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 27 February Kick-off: 16:45 GMT Coverage: Live on BBC One,...

    Newsexplored 9th February 2021
Scroll for more
Tap
data-ad-format="auto">
NewsExplored

NewsExplored - Making sure all the latest news is explored?

Contact us for help

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • Comments

  • Transfer rumours: Kounde, Haaland, Bremer, Neuhaus, Balogun, Ziyech, Raphinha
    Sports13th February 2021
  • Station reopening at Bow Street brings first trains for 56 years
    UK14th February 2021
  • Manchester United 3-3 Everton: Dominic Calvert-Lewin scores late goal to deny hosts
    Sports6th February 2021
  • Super Bowl half-time show: How did The Weeknd do?
    Entertainment8th February 2021
  • Golden Globe Awards 2021: Stars prepare for virtual ceremony
    USA28th February 2021
  • John F Kennedy: When the US president met Africa’s independence heroes
    USA27th February 2021
  • Biden’s Covid stimulus plan: It costs $2tn but what’s in it?
    USA24th February 2021
  • Tiger Woods suffers ‘multiple leg injuries’ in Los Angeles car crash
    USA23rd February 2021
  • Les Rehrer says:

    Hello Its me :P and thanks for this post

  • optumrx login says:

    Thank For News.

  • Kent Laatsch says:

    Please let me know if you're looking for a writer…

  • Bob says:

    RT News was where I learned that Erdogan controlled isis.…

Copyright © 2018 Top News Theme. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by Wordpress.

Salmond and Sturgeon: What is the controversy all about?
Newspaper headlines: ‘Travel crackdown’ and cash for cladding crisis
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok