Whittington Hospital

• I WRITE to give your readers the latest information about how Covid-19 is affecting Whittington Health NHS Trust, as I have tried to do throughout the pandemic.

Like the rest of the NHS across London, Whittington Health is experiencing real pressure as a result of a rapid increase in Covid-positive patients.

It is once again heartening to see that, as my colleagues work so hard, lots of you have been in touch to ask how you can help us.

To them and to everyone I say that the most important thing we can all do is to follow the national lockdown rules: stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.

I want to pay tribute to my hard-working and dedicated colleagues as they continue to provide safe, effective, and compassionate care under the most difficult conditions.

To help support them we are asking you to donate what you can afford in order to support our staff through this difficult time; even if it is just enough for a cup of coffee, your support will mean a great deal to them as they work so hard on our behalf.

You can find out more and donate at: www.justgiving.com/campaign/supportwhittington

Late last month we had to take the difficult decision temporarily to stop performing non-urgent adult services to free up staff and space on our wards to treat patients who require emergency, critical or Covid-19 care.

I am extremely sorry to anyone whose treatment has been disrupted as a result. I am acutely aware of the impact which this decision will have on those who are waiting and I can assure you that the decision was not taken lightly or until all other possibilities had been exhausted.

Finally I want to reassure you that if you need urgent health advice or treatment you should not delay getting help.

Your pharmacy, GP, NHS 111, and our hospital A&E department remain open and safe to use – and if you need help with something urgent, but non-life-threatening NHS 111 can now book time slots at our A&E department for those who need them.

Please use National Health Service resources responsibly at this particularly busy time.

SIOBHAN HARRINGTON
CEO, Whittington Health
NHS Trust