In copyright
It is possible this item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You may be able to use this digital item under a copyright exception, otherwise you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). These may be identified elsewhere in the catalogue record. Read more about copyright.
Read further guidance on copyright exceptions in the UK.
Credit
Leigh-Anne Hill's film - Final edited version. In copyright. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Leigh-Anne Hill, Locum Doctor at Intensive Treatment Unit at Newham University Hospital, filmed in artist's studio in October 2020.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the world, it did not immediately frighten Dr. Leigh-Anne Hill. The crisis felt distant, almost unreal. That changed after a series of hospital briefings revealed the scale of what was coming. The turning point came when she was redeployed from her role as a surgical doctor to the Intensive Treatment Unit, an environment she had never worked in before. From that moment, she found herself at the centre of the crisis, and the pandemic suddenly became real.
Dr. Leigh-Anne Hill was required to learn new skills in a very short period of time and begin applying them immediately. She recalls her first interventions with patients at ITU, administering medication, performing unfamiliar complex procedures, and meeting the families of critically ill patients, often facing difficult and emotional conversations.
She reflects on the emotional weight of caring for intubated patients, describing how she still formed attachments through interactions with their families and the presence of personal belongings at the bedside.
Keywords: Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU), Death from Covid, Difficult conversations, Teamwork, Impact on family