Staff at Rugby's St Cross working hard to take strain off Coventry's UHCW ahead of expected Covid-19 peak

Andy Hardy, CEO of University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, which runs both Rugby's St Cross and Coventry's UHCW spoke with the Advertiser this morning.

He said big changes have been made at St Cross as the hospital works hard to free up resources to allow UHCW to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak.

Mr Hardy said: "We're trying to keep St Cross free of infected patients for as long as possible.

"Those with minor injuries, the walking wounded, are now all going over to St Cross."

He added that trauma and plastic surgery are being conducted in Rugby, along with more outpatient appointments.

With ventilators and PPE (personal protective equipment) Mr Hardy said the trust has not experienced any shortages, adding that there are daily deliveries.

The intensive care unit at Coventry has been doubled in size, and Mr Hardy said additional ventilators are on their way to cope with the peak of the outbreak - which is expected to happen in around a week.

Yesterday, April 5, two more patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 died at UHCW, and in recent days the Midlands has overtaken London as the centre of the outbreak.

Mr Hardy said the outbreak is proving very stressful for staff, but thanked them for their hard work.

He said: "Lots of people die in hospitals every day, but when it's at this frequency it's obviously very stressful.

"We are seeing deaths rise in hospitals across the country.

"I want to thank all staff on both sites who are doing fabulous work and the public for their support.

He added: "We're putting lots of things in place to protect our staff, including protecting their mental health.

"We're seeing lots of innovative ideas from staff.

"If anything good can come from this - it is that. "

Mr Hardy said 'clap for carers', which has seen the public across the country clap to show their support for the NHS, has had a positive impact on staff.