Doctor photographs hospital’s critical care unit during the pandemic

Images from the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough (Picture: PA)

A frontline doctor in the battle against coronavirus has documented the work of his colleagues in the pandemic.

Dr Matthew Jones photographed fellow doctors and nurses at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

He decided to document what was happening in the critical care unit, having worked in South Sudan in 2018 where he used photography to understand the experience of working in an environment where things happened so quickly.

The images from Middlesbrough depict the strain staff are under, wearing full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Dr Jones said: ‘It gave a means to pause and reflect and find answers, and continues to do so even now.

‘I wanted to offer that simple resource to staff in intensive care at James Cook, so they could process events and move forward with a sense of what they had achieved.

Staff at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough (Picture: PA)

Dr Matthew Jones took the images of colleagues (Picture: PA)

It shows the stress of working during the pandemic (Picture: PA)

‘The atmosphere in the intensive care unit was amazing.

‘You sensed the strong bonds that existed between them all, a real spirit of care for each other’s welfare.

‘I think the photos do a little justice to the stresses and pressure of the environment, but also the immense humanity on display as staff made such an effort to build bonds with the patients despite the obstacles they faced.

‘To spend the time they did in personal protective equipment and in such heightened stress and emotion was an incredible effort, and to do so with humour, good spirit and such team spirit even more so.’

Some of the images he took are on display in the hospital, while others have been shown on a website created with his colleague, intensive care consultant Dr Alex Scott.

He photographed the critical care unit (Picture: PA)

The photos show the ‘immense humanity on display’ (Picture: PA)

Staff wore full PPE in the unit (Picture: PA)

The centrepiece is a montage of images, depicting a heart in the middle.

Dr Scott said: ‘Work took place by necessity behind closed doors, night and day, whilst wearing personal protective equipment in high heat and hard exertion, to deliver life-saving interventions to a group of patients on the edge between life and death.

‘Through all this time, conditions in the units were too dangerous for relatives to be admitted to visit their loved ones, so whilst performing the most technical and complex care, this team gave the kindness needed to both the patients and their loved ones.

‘This project stands in honour to all those staff who have committed their lives to caring, and had the courage to do so at personal risk in the worst crisis of modern times, and also in tribute to our patients.’

The full collection of images can be seen here. 

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