The Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead

SOLDIERS are taking up positions in the Royal Free hospital in a bid to ease the NHS staffing crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) sent 70 military personnel to work at NHS trust in Pond Street, Hampstead, on Monday.

Forty “combat medical technicians” have been parachuted into the intensive care unit, with 30 “soldiers” are tasked with “general non-clinical duties to support clinical services”.

It follows an urgent request from senior managers, who have warned of “significant staffing shortages” in recent weeks.

Large numbers of NHS workers are having to take time off sick with Covid or are isolating, while high vacancy rates in key roles remain in the three hospitals serving Camden patients.

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A Royal College of Nursing survey has revealed growing “intention-to-leave rates” among its members after almost a year on the front line fighting the virus, while the union Unison says its NHS workers are experiencing “declining morale”, “exhaustion” and “a sense of not being valued” by senior managers and a government so far unwilling to implement basic pay rises.

The New Journal reported a fortnight ago on a leaked email from Caroline Clarke, the chief executive of the Royal Free London group, revealing “significant staff shortages” are set to continue at the Hampstead hospital “for the foreseeable future”.

Workers have been told to cancel annual leave until mid-February and many who spoke to the New Journal on condition of anonymity this week say they are feeling obligated to take on overtime shifts because of the surge in demand from Covid.

One non-clinical NHS worker said: “To be honest I’ve never worked in such a ridiculous environment, where I am so demotivated to the extent of wondering why I bother coming to work each day. Things have got just so silly now.”

A band 6 nurse added: “The government has underpaid nurses for years, then they expect us to [staff] the front line in a war against a deadly virus.”

Unison is running a campaign calling for pay increases for hospital staff and warning that the government has been under-valuing workers for years.

Its health spokesperson, Sara Gorton, said: “Many staff are beyond exhausted and feel let down by politicians who expect health workers to give everything but show them little in return. A rise as soon as possible would persuade many NHS staff to stay and encourage others to consider a career in health.”

Despite encouraging signs that the infection rate is slowing in Camden, a huge proportion of beds in the hospitals used by the borough’s residents are still taken up by Covid patients.

The Royal Free London – the group name for Royal Free in Hampstead and Barnet hospital – reported an average of 10 deaths a day from Covid in the past week.

The total number of Covid patients at the Royal Free in Hampstead has been around the 400 mark since the beginning of the month.

A third of the 216 Covid patients at University College Hospital in Euston are on mechanical ventilators.

The Whittington, meanwhile, has the highest percentage of beds that are taken up by Covid patients in the country.

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NHS Professionals – a private body set up by the Department for Health which sends agency staff into hospitals – contacted the Royal Free last week saying it was ready to manage an MoD deployment of “as many requested military personnel to your trust starting from Monday”, adding: “We want to deploy as many additional resources as possible to build into your teams to reduce the current burdens faced by your clinical workforce.”

The company had put out a call for military personnel to “step into Civvy street” and help NHS organisations during the pandemic. It is understood that around 150 are due to take up positions in the Hampstead hospital and the Royal London Whitechapel, mainly helping to liaise with families of Covid patients in the hospital.

NHS England said the military personnel sent to the Royal Free were a mix of combat medical technicians and soldiers performing general duties.

An internal bulletin to Royal Free staff said: “Two groups of military staff are taking up shifts at the Royal Free Hospital. There are a group of 40 Combat Medical Technicians supporting the intensive care unit for the next fortnight.

“The CMTs attended a full induction ahead of beginning their shifts. In addition, 20-30 soldiers are being redeployed to support our facilities team assisting with tasks such as portering and scrubs distribution, and or offer general ward support.”