Royal Papworth says Covid-19 is set to change the way hospitals operate in future

  • Anglia
Staff at Royal Papworth have had to become far more flexible in the way they operate Credit: ITV Anglia

Throughout this period hospitals have been focused on fighting Covid 19 but it's meant the suspension of many other treatments and procedures.

Patients and medical staff understandably want to see a return to normality as soon as possible but what will that look like?

At Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge staff say the way in which they work may well have changed permanently.

The Chief Executive and the Chief Nurse outside Royal Papworth in Cambridge Credit: ITV Anglia

Busy scenes at the critical care unit inside Royal Papworth Hospital conceal just how much cases of Covid 19 have reduced there.

They've almost halved since the peak - in all more than 100 patients have been treated here for the disease.

The way in which staff work is also likely to undergo a permanent change. The pandemic has required unprecedented levels of flexibility.

The hospital says zoning is likely to continue to keep Covid patients apart from those without the disease. Some cardiac appointments are likely to continue to be online in the future.

Royal Papworth says Covid-19 will change the way it does things in the future Credit: ITV Anglia

There's also a hope that the role medical staff have played during this crisis will aid recruitment of nurses.

And that includes those who've left the profession previously like university lecturers Jane Watson, already back at the hospital and Professor Sarah Redsell who's returning soon.

Management say staff at Royal Papworth will remain on standby for any second wave of the disease.

The hospital will then decide how best health services can be structured in the future.