HOSPITAL bosses say they will do more to help staff struggling to cope with the extra pressures of caring for dying patients during the pandemic.

Health workers in Herefordshire say they are struggling because the usual things they rely on to help cope with stress is not allowed due to the coronavirus restrictions.

Lucy Flanagan, Wye Valley NHS Trust director of nursing, told a recent board meeting that she visited Hereford County Hospital wards and checked up on how staff were doing.

“I was able to go out for three hours and talk to the staff in every single one of our wards on the county site,” she said.

“What I saw was great teamwork, great camaraderie and great team spirit.

“But they are tired. They are coming to work in the dark they are going home in the dark and they are struggling.

“They are struggling with making sure that those patients who experience the end of their life in our care are being cared for in the best way they can be.

“They are going home with a heavy heart that, perhaps, they haven’t been able to communicate or enable visiting for those family members in the same way that we would do normally.

“What staff described was that the pandemic has taken away all of those things which normally help you cope under pressure.

“We can no longer hug a colleague, we can no longer share cake and have a coffee in the staff room, and those who like to go to the pub with their friends can’t go either.”

Ms Flanagan said the hospital had been struggling with staffing levels since before Christmas.

“This is partly driven by the fact that a number of our staff contracted Covid or have had to self-isolate because they’ve been in contact with a family member who has Covid.

“Our demand for agency staff is very high and the agencies have not been able to meet that demand.

“We’ve had to redeploy a huge number of our staff, 45 full time equivalents to support critical care.

“And then backfill the gaps that they leave by standing down services and moving.”

Hospital bosses say they are improving the health and well-being support offers they have in place for staff.

This includes access to psychology support, local mental and physical well-being initiatives and access into national virtual support.