Ross Kemp was invited into Milton Keynes University Hospital Trust for new documentary Ross Kemp: On The NHS Frontline, which airs tonight on ITV.
As NHS staff there prepare for the full force of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ross is there to see what’s really going on in hospitals across the country. Watch a clip from the show below:
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In the episode Ross hears from frontline staff why it’s vital that people stay at home and listen to the advice the Government is putting out. He speaks to Medical Director Dr Ian Reckless, who talks through the difficult and heart-rending decisions that the doctors might be faced with in the future.
To encourage people to stay at home so the NHS doesn’t become overwhelmed he says: “Imagine the situation where we have 20 ventilators and all of them are in use. We’ve got no more ventilators, we phone around other hospitals and they’ve got no more ventilators either. We have to make a decision for the next person coming into the hospital, who we haven’t met yet. Of the 20 patients currently on ventilators, who are the two or three patients who, to be completely honest, aren’t making any progress. They’re getting worse, not better. They aren’t going to survive. And in some circumstances we may have to withdraw treatment on that basis. That’s not something we’ve done in the UK. Ever.”
Ross also talks to Dr Hamid Manji, a Consultant Anaesthetist at Milton Keynes Hospital, who is working 12 hour shifts in the intensive care unit and has also suffered from the coronavirus himself.
340 COVID-19 patients have been treated at the hospital. With the 63 COVID-19 patients, and another 35 suspected cases currently being treated, representing just a fraction of the number he is expecting to tend to in the coming weeks.
Ross speaks to the Hospital Directors who are dealing with urgent challenges including sourcing personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers, acquiring ventilators and trying to find new staff to cover for the 450 staff already self-isolating or off sick.
He also visits the A&E department and talks to Kieran and Kate who have seen a sharp decline in patients admitting themselves to hospital.
Ross Kemp: On the NHS Frontline airs tonight at 8.30pm on ITV.
