Friday 29th May 2020
Figures for 28th May
UK COVID Deaths 377 / Total 37,837
James Cook Hospital – Total COVID deaths – 229
All COVID cases within South Tees Hospitals Trust – 37
James Cook Critical Care COVID cases – 8 / 4 ventilated
James Cook Critical Care non-COVID cases – 32 / 13 ventilated
Nicky was on-call last night. She arrived to the sad news that one of our COVID ICU patients had died. The news has been reported today by local media as the gentleman was a member of our staff, one of our radiology porters. Many of the hospital staff had worked with him over the past twenty years and he was a familiar face on nearly every ward. He had spent a number of weeks within ICU after becoming extremely unwell with coronavirus and we had all come to know him better during this time. We had seen him begin to make a recovery and so his unexpected death has been devastating for all of us.
This is the first member of staff that we have lost. The news has upset everyone throughout the hospital. Our hearts and sympathy go out to his family.
I can speak as a wife of a man who was in ICU some years ago. His fate was very much undetermined. He didn't fit into the normal ICU category of one who was going to recover or one who would not. He was in no mans land, with a very rare neurological condition. I dreaded the time when a Consultant would utter those words "have you got a minute". This only meant one thing, bad news. They were always honest but in a candid way. Instead of saying, this is serious and he may not survive its more of "were doing our best but hes still not responding, this is beginning to be a concern". But reading between t…
I’ve been following your blog since I found out my placement allocation was in critical care as I’m currently a student nurse. Mark was my uncle and as soon as he got took in I was debating if to continue with placement but knew if I could help anyone going through the same thing, I would do what I could. I just want to say a huge thank you to yourself and all of your colleagues for looking after him the best you could and I know that Mark will be very thankful himself. It’s been a hard couple of weeks for us as a family but everyone that known Mark would have known him for being a wind-up or…
I saw the title of this blog post and was almost too cowardly to read it. I like many others have been dreading hearing it. Every loss of life is a terrible tragedy but it must be almost unbearable within ‘your own.’ And to still have to get up and keep going through the pain. I’m so sorry. Thoughts with Mark, his family, all the hospital family.
This was one blog entry I really dreaded you having to write. We have lost a well loved member of our Radiology family and we are heartbroken. Thank you all for your hard work, I know you and your team will be taking this incredibly hard too. All our thoughts are with his family. Xxx
So sad you will be sadly missed by all especially the Redcar Bears speedway promoters riders and supporters RIP gorgeous young man Fly high with the angels xx