Imperial College London academics on NHS frontline
Academics from Imperial College London have shared their experiences of working on the NHS frontline at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust during the coronavirus pandemic.
The academics reveal the challenges of treating COVID-19 patients, how they coped working in hospitals during lockdown, how they felt about the overwhelming support from the public and their joy at witnessing some patients recover from severe cases of the virus.
More than 200 clinical academics have volunteered to be seconded to the NHS full-time to help support London hospital trusts including Imperial NHS partners – Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, and Chelsea & Westminster NHS Foundation Trust – to treat COVID-19 patients, conduct virtual outpatients clinics and conduct research into the disease which could lead to breakthrough treatments.
Professor Jonathan Weber, Director of Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) said: “I would like to thank all our clinical academics for their hard work and dedication to the NHS during this challenging time. The stories shared are both inspiring and moving, giving us a real insight into their relationship with the NHS, patients and colleagues. Our AHSC partnership has enabled us to respond rapidly to the pandemic through research, education and clinical care. Our ability to provide additional staffing support to our NHS partners to help tackle this virus is a clear example of our longstanding and formidable partnership.”
The programme to second clinical academics to the NHS is coordinated by the Imperial College Academic Health Centre (AHSC) – a partnership between Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Imperial College London and two other NHS trusts which aims to enhance the translation of research discoveries into improvements in human health.
