Frontline hospital staff helping people in need of emergency care throughout the pandemic have been praised for their dedication to patients.

Staff in the Emergency Administration Department have worked around the clock in the Emergency Department (ED) at Hull Royal Infirmary, featured in Channel 5’s A&E After Dark, since the pandemic was declared a year ago.

Team leader Jo Hagues said: “I am so proud of how the team have worked over the past year.

“They have been flexible, professional and supportive of all their colleagues even when faced with distressing situations.

“They have gone above and beyond as a team ensuring patient and colleague safety at all times.”

Last Spring, in the run-up to Christmas and at the start of the third lockdown in January, the Emergency Department has seen an influx of patients with the virus as well as those with other severe illnesses and injuries.

Staff in the Emergency Administration Department have manned all areas of ED including Children’s A&E, Primary Care, Initial Assessment, the Acute Medical Unit, Majors – where those with the most serious illnesses and injuries are taken – and the newly built block behind the tower block, where patients suspected with the virus are taken for assessment.

Supporting emergency clinicians, the team process patients’ details, book people in to be seen by clinical staff and ensure each patient’s history is ready for the doctors beginning their care.

In full PPE and often working behind screens, staff in the Emergency Administration Department have gone out of their way to help patients by dealing with them in a timely and efficient manner, despite the pressures of working in a busy Emergency Department.

The team has also supported and trained new staff and those redeployed from other parts of the hospital to help on the frontline.

Jo said: “Our team have been on the front line of the pandemic since the very beginning and they have worked together to look after patients from the minute they arrive in the department. They are a credit to our organisation.”