now all this week clive murray has been
reporting from the royal
london hospital which has been inundated
with covert patients
in his final report he looks at the cost
of the pandemic on both patients and
medics alike
with staff working under greater
pressure than at any time in the history
of the nhs
just to warn you that clive's report
filmed with camera journalist
david mcelveen and producer sam perranti
is upsetting
and does contain flashing images
hello am i speaking to shamina well my
name is dr haley i'm bringing you up
from the
royal london hospital it's about your
husband
consultant mari healey's words will
sting
one of her coveted patients isn't doing
well in intensive care
he's quite sick he could die from this
by the way i'm sorry to have to say that
we've only been married for two years
he's the light of your life he is
you know he's never been away from me
for even a day
this is shimima who already knows loss
in this pandemic
her brother-in-law was buried last month
a victim of covid19
and this week her father-in-law died
from the virus
now her husband's life hangs precarious
it is a feature of the second wave that
whole families
have been blighted we feel so empty
like for me not to have my husband by my
side
life is too short and you know you want
to spend it with your loved ones because
i have to be strong for my mother and i
have to be strong for my sister-in-law
you know they kind of rely on me
and if i break down then you know
i don't know what's going to happen to
the family
[Music]
asif lies limp one of close to 4
000 people across the uk now breathing
with the aid of a machine
due to kobit 19. that's more than 4 000
families praying for the best
fearing the worst lives on hold
the nhs is a family too and it's mourned
its own
more than 200 frontline staff have died
in the pandemic
and see you because they didn't want to
get you tired
senior charge nurse tom wood at the
royal london
feared he wouldn't make it after
contracting the virus over christmas
i was doing everything i could try and
deep breathe and everything i tell
everyone to do
and that was quite a scary moment
because
you know you see
it's obviously the first wave on the
second wave i've seen what can happen
it's scary
we're all scared
that the gravediggers will keep working
due to coving
this cemetery in northeast london has
had to expand because of the pandemic
dead
today across the uk more than 94
000 that's over 20 000
more than the number of civilians who
died in our country
in world war two
we're all scared that things will get
worse before they get better
we're all scared of the cruel ripples of
the pandemic
lockdowns mental health problems
economic shock
so where's the light
martin griffiths is a consultant trauma
surgeon at the royal london
more used to dealing with gunshot wounds
and stabbings
now he's helping out giving people
vaccine jabs
what do you think of anti-vaxxers
they have my thoughts
and prayers they're wrong
they're so wrong and
either by a lack of knowledge a lack of
understanding or unwillingness to accept
the reality of what we're what we're
seeing
they're actively contributing to the
detriment of our society
next place salvation then
at the end of a needle
and maybe soon we'll all be able to
smile
it's true the nhs is here for us from
cradle to grave
part of the origin myth of post-war
modern britain
but coronavirus has given us a glimpse
into a dark future
a time when the men and women of the
service can't help everyone
as they would like is that the true
lesson of this pandemic
that to see the nhs crumble
means losing a part of who we are
clive myery bbc news