Emma Corbett - Speciality Doctor in Anaesthetics, Calderdale Hospital

My main role during this corona pandemic has been to maintain emergency surgery especially breast cancer surgery and obstetrics. Because of the PPE precautions that we all have to take that has meant that each case takes three times as long. This means much fewer cases have been able to be formed and only cancer and urgent surgery can be done and also, other procedures that may have gone along with have not been able to be done because of the support services not being there - community services and all kinds of things.

From a personal point of view the morale of the hospital has been actually high. Initially everyone was a bit scared, frightened, anxious about everything but actually for us, because there has not been so much elective surgery, we have had more time with colleagues and time to talk to each other. That has been rather nice as usually it’s frantic and very, very busy! It’s very different for those on the respiratory wards and intensive care of course.

10.6.20