Staff and patients at Basingstoke Hospital feature in new ad campaign urging people to 'stay at home'
Footage of coronavirus patients and NHS staff in Hampshire are featuring in a national TV ad urging UK residents to 'stay at home'.
Testimonials from Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital are part of a new government campaign reminding the public of the extreme pressures still facing the NHS.
Alex Whitfield, Chief Executive of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said staff are working around the clock to provide care during the pandemic.
She said: “We are pleading with the public to stay at home in order to look after each other and support our NHS staff so we can ultimately all play a part in saving lives. We hope that by having a film crew in here to hear how much pressure our hospital and staff are under, the public will get an understanding of what happens here every day. The threat is very real to us all.”
The TV advert can be viewed here.
The Department for Health and Social Care says someone is admitted "every 30 seconds with the virus", and a quarter of those are under the age of 55. It added there are currently more than 38,000 beds taken up in England by Covid-19 patients.
Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said: “The impact of the current wave is still putting significant pressure on hospitals across the country and many patients are very sick.
“Vaccines give clear hope for the future, but for now we must all continue to play our part in protecting the NHS and saving lives.”
Latest Covid-19 statistics show the UK has seen the highest number of deaths recorded from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, with more than 1,000 people dying per day for the last 10 days.
The TV advert will air for the first time on Friday evening (22 January) on ITV and Channel 4.
Further advertising will run across radio, out of home, digital and across social media from Saturday evening.