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It’s no secret that NHS staff, frontline and key workers are the true heroes of this pandemic – it’s the reason why we’ve been clapping for them every Thursday since the end of March.
But a new initiative has decided to go behind closed doors and ask staff at hospitals or working in the medical field around the UK to photograph their hands, as well as asking them how they are feeling and what their day-to-day is like.
Hands Across The NHS is a short film, photo profile series (which you can see by clicking through the gallery above) and a social media fundraiser.
All the content has been created by frontline staff – from doctors to paramedics, nurses to psychologists, as well as virologists and support staff. Each one playing an integral park in the medical ecosystem.
The project is in aid of NHS Charities Together and was started by filmmakers Victoria Bolstridge, Jonathan Beamish and Angelique Arnold.
The frontline contributors include NHS workers from across the country – including Dr Nick Rhodes, the Principal Clinical Psychologist at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, who says of his image: “The challenges of today have included patients who are struggling in their distressed mental states to understand social distancing, despite repeated requests to explain why we need them to take a step back; and a new admission who we were unable to assess properly because she remained mute and made no eye contact. Most gratifying this morning are two patients whose mental health crises seem to be abating and are looking forward to going home.”
Dr Alice Beardmore-Gray, an Obstetric Doctor at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, South London says COVID-19 has been hard for women giving birth as partner’s aren’t allowed in the operating theatre.
She continues: “We’ve been using video calls to make sure they can still feel involved in the moment their baby is born.
“My favourite moment during this shift was hearing a new mum welcome her son into the world. Watching the look on parents’ faces as you show them their new baby makes all the night shifts worthwhile. It is such a privilege to be part of that moment and always fills me with joy.”
Click through the gallery above to see more images and read more stories from NHS frontline staff.
To find out more about Hands Across The NHS, you can find them on Twitter and Youtube.
