1 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:04,935 I've always been in the NHS 2 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:07,855 but, on this occasion, the NHS let me down. 3 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:09,335 APPLAUSE 4 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:11,535 We clapped them and thanked them. 5 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:14,775 Now many health workers are struggling. 6 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,735 I want to be a part of the world that's moved on. 7 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:19,535 That thinks Covid is over. 8 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,855 For me, it's a living, breathing beast. 9 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:25,455 Thousands say they have long Covid. 10 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,055 The mobility scooter is a big adjustment for me 11 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,895 because I guess I never really thought I would need one. 12 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:37,055 Some are worried about money, others fear losing their jobs. 13 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:38,935 I'd clone what was asked of me. 14 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:41,815 I went into the front line, I clone my job, 15 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:44,295 and now I'm just collateral damage. 16 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:48,815 They cared for us, now they're asking who's going to care for them. 17 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,015 They're just in a no man's land. 18 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:53,775 We don't have the support for them. 19 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,535 And, actually, that genuinely makes me angry. 20 00:01:05,320 --> 00:01:09,255 Yes, I was a power walker. I went everywhere as quickly as possible. 21 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:12,735 Sometimes people think I'm a patient... 22 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:14,295 You've been really good. 23 00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:17,295 ...rather than the doctor, until they see my badges and so on. 24 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:20,695 Shall we listen to your chest? Can you put it on your chest? 25 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:23,815 Dr Nathalie MacDermott has long Covid. 26 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:26,615 I thought, something's not quite right here, 27 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:28,735 but I just couldn't build up that strength. 28 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:33,295 Like, it didn't seem to matter how much I went for a walk, 29 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:35,855 I couldn't get beyond a certain point. 30 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:40,855 Nathalie says she caught Covid twice at the start of the pandemic. 31 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:43,255 The London trust where she used to work 32 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,615 disputes she was infected there. 33 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:49,935 The mobility scooter is a big adjustment for me 34 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:53,495 because I guess I never really thought I would need one, 35 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:56,895 or certainly not at the age of 40. 36 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:00,055 She's now working at a different hospital. 37 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:05,055 Sometimes now I find it very hard to read things. 38 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:08,055 Like, I just don't have that concentration 39 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:12,055 for very long any more, so I can read it, maybe a sentence, 40 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,615 but then I just lose track of where I am. 41 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:21,775 Long Covid is a new condition and there's no universal definition, 42 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,375 but the World Health Organization says if you're still ill 43 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:29,495 three months after infection and there's no other obvious cause, 44 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:31,295 it's long Covid. 45 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:35,055 There are two very broad categories of long Covid. 46 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:37,535 There's people who got really severe Covid. 47 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,535 The virus then affected their lungs, the virus affected 48 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,775 their blood vessels, so they had strokes or heart attacks. 49 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,535 Actually, a far more common version, though, 50 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,375 are people who often only had very mild disease. 51 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,935 They've been left with an overall system failure. 52 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,615 The body just doesn't work the way it should. 53 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:00,295 Coronavirus changed life dramatically. 54 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:05,695 An emergency the like of which most of us had never experienced before. 55 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,295 Our health correspondent, Catherine Burns, is here. 56 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,455 What have we learned, Catherine? So, shall we start with something 57 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:14,615 that shows us how much things have changed since the beginning... 58 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:16,935 I've been covering the pandemic from the start, 59 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:20,695 when millions of us were told, stay home, protect the NHS, save lives. 60 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:25,015 I want to say a huge thank you on behalf of the whole country 61 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,735 to everyone working in our NHS. 62 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:32,855 In return, the government promised to protect health workers. 63 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:36,775 Ancl I'll stop at nothing to make sure that front line staff 64 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,055 have the right equipment so that they're safe 65 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:41,735 and can have the confidence they need to do their jobs. 66 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:43,295 APPLAUSE 67 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:45,775 And every Thursday night across the UK, 68 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:49,055 people came out to show their appreciation. 69 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:53,575 Now some of those we applauded say they're being abandoned. 70 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,255 We've been in touch with more than 250 health workers 71 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:00,735 who say they now have long Covid. 72 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:03,535 I don't want to be like I am. 73 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,055 I want to be part of the normal working world. 74 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,135 I want to be a part of the world that's moved on. 75 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,535 That's part... You know, that thinks Covid is over. 76 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:15,695 For me, it's a living, breathing beast. 77 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,015 This past 14 months has broken me. 78 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:22,055 I have... 79 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:27,535 ...had clays where I have felt like I can't carry on 80 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:31,535 and it would be easier to not be here, 81 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,815 which is terrifying because that's not who I am. 82 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:39,655 I look to the future and I think, is this going to be me forever? 83 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:52,735 I feel like I'm... 84 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,735 ...a mere shell of the person I used to be. 85 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:01,095 The NHS across the UK doesn't have an overall figure 86 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:03,655 for how many staff have long Covid. 87 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:05,695 Figures aren't always recorded, 88 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,535 partly because of the wide range of symptoms. 89 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,935 We've analysed survey data from the Office for National Statistics 90 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:17,375 and estimate that in the UK around 90,000 health workers 91 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:19,815 would say they're still living with it. 92 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:24,455 Dr Nathalie MacDermott specialises in infectious diseases 93 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,495 and was worried early on about the risks of Covid. 94 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,095 Alarm bells rang for me because I thought, 95 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:33,935 but we're working with known Covid patients here 96 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:36,815 and yet we're still only allowed to wear the same PPE 97 00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:38,815 that I'm wearing on any other ward. 98 00:05:38,840 --> 00:05:40,855 So what PPE were you wearing? 99 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,055 A fluid-resistant surgical mask, a pair of gloves 100 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:47,055 and a plastic apron that covers your torso. Nothing else. 101 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,015 She wrote to the trust she was working for at the time, 102 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:53,295 raising her concerns about PPE. 103 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:57,055 It says it was following official guidance. 104 00:05:57,080 --> 00:05:59,695 I said, why are we not wearing full PPE? 105 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,055 I'm concerned that there's inconsistencies 106 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:06,055 and that staff are, you know, being left unprotected. 107 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:08,535 Health unions were worried, too. 108 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,415 They repeatedly asked for more protection. 109 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:14,775 We're getting the push back that, firstly, 110 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:18,295 we don't have sufficient masks in order to keep the staff safe. 111 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:22,135 Second, that this would be generating fear 112 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:23,935 when it came to the virus. 113 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,015 Actually, it was appropriate that there should be a degree of fear 114 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:29,015 when it comes to a deadly virus. 115 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:34,135 Advice on PPE was based on the idea the virus was largely spread 116 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:36,535 through droplets from coughs and sneezes. 117 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:40,055 Some scientists were convinced there was another significant way 118 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,855 it was being transmitted - through aerosols - 119 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:45,495 infectious particles lingering in the air. 120 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:47,535 Not everyone agreed. 121 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:50,775 Very early on, we thought it was aerosols. 122 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:54,055 We were saying this since, I think, March, April. 123 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:58,975 So, let's say that my view was not popular, OK? 124 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,055 And I think that, without being too specific, 125 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,295 a lot of infection control people didn't want to hear this. 126 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:08,535 If we understood better how the virus was being spread, 127 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,655 we could have implemented better PPE for health care workers. 128 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:17,095 From mid-March 2020, the guidance on caring for Covid patients 129 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,535 was for most health staff to wear these - surgical masks. 130 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:22,855 The kind many of us have become used to. 131 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:25,735 But in some areas, like intensive care units, 132 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:27,935 and for certain medical procedures, 133 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:31,415 the advice was to use these - FFP3 respirators. 134 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:35,535 If worn correctly, they form a seal around the face 135 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:39,895 with a filter blocking at least 99% of infectious particles. 136 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:44,935 There's still a debate about whether wider use of respirator masks 137 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:48,015 would have stopped so many health workers getting infected. 138 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:55,295 The government says it delivered over 25 billion items of PPE 139 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:59,255 and guidance was agreed by all four nations and public health bodies. 140 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:12,055 There are days when I honestly can't even get out of the house 141 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:15,775 but I tend to try and get out here at least a couple of times a day, 142 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:18,255 even if it's just a few minutes at a time. 143 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:21,135 Rachel Hext is a nurse in Devon. 144 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:23,695 She's been diagnosed with long Covid 145 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:26,495 and hasn't worked for more than two years. 146 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:29,015 Her husband, Gordon, has it, too. 147 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:33,655 They have two sons, Tommy and Greg. 148 00:08:33,680 --> 00:08:35,295 They're three and four, you know, 149 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:37,975 most parents could pick them up and give them a piggyback 150 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:39,735 or put them up on their shoulders, 151 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,495 which is something Gord used to do all the time with the boys. 152 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:44,015 We can't do that now. 153 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:47,855 I just need to pop him in cos I'm just running out of breath. 154 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,415 Joint pain, muscle pain. Nerve pains, yeah. 155 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:55,135 My taste and smell have never gone back to what they were. 156 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:58,215 Like, a big wave of allergy problems. 157 00:08:58,240 --> 00:08:59,655 I now carry an EpiPen. 158 00:08:59,680 --> 00:09:02,375 I've never done that in my life before. 159 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,295 I've lost the hearing in my left ear, I wear a hearing aid. 160 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:13,735 Rachel was infected in October 2020. 161 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:16,735 There's only one ward in the small community hospital 162 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:18,575 where she was working. 163 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:23,175 Without any notice, I was just called one morning to say that 164 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:27,175 over the last few days it had been turned into a Covid contact ward 165 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:30,175 and that I should bring some spare clothes with me 166 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:33,295 because there wasn't enough scrubs to go around. 167 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,415 Patients who'd been exposed to Covid were being transferred 168 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:40,295 to Rachel's hospital and soon started to test positive. 169 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:41,935 How did you feel? 170 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:44,415 Rabbit in headlights, if I'm honest. 171 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:45,855 I'll never forget it. 172 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:49,615 I just walked into absolute chaos. 173 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,495 This was during the second wave of the pandemic 174 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:55,775 and before the first vaccines. 175 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:58,215 Rachel says she didn't feel safe. 176 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:00,095 My particular surgical mask, 177 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,455 by the time you'd wrapped the loops around your ears, 178 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:04,895 I had massive, gaping holes on my cheeks. 179 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:10,575 So, when you're in a bay of four people coughing and spluttering, 180 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,055 you know, it's not like the virus picks which direction to go, 181 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,335 is it, you know? 182 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:19,415 Within a couple of days, Rachel was really unwell. 183 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:24,335 Her husband and two young sons tested positive soon afterwards. 184 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:26,415 How do you feel about that? 185 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,295 Really cross because... 186 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:30,935 ...the... 187 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:34,775 ...the first wave should have taught a lot of lessons. 188 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:36,535 We couldn't isolate the patients. 189 00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:38,175 We didn't have proper PPE. 190 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:40,375 We didn't have scrubs to fit us. 191 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:42,975 You know, it's just basics, isn't it? 192 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:45,415 Three years after the pandemic started, 193 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:50,455 we don't know exactly how many health workers caught Covid at work. 194 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:55,935 We need to understand the impact of Covid on the health care workforce 195 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:58,695 and, you know, lots of other front line workers. 196 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:02,975 Ancl the only way we're going to do that is if we have data. 197 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,655 Employers have a legal duty to report 198 00:11:05,680 --> 00:11:08,975 to the Health and Safety Executive when someone gets ill, 199 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,215 injured or dies because of work. 200 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:13,935 It's called Riddor reporting. 201 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:16,735 David Osborne is a health and safety consultant 202 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,895 who believes more cases should have been reported. 203 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:24,455 It's important to have it recognised that that disease, 204 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:29,415 which could be with you for the rest of your life and affect your career, 205 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:31,655 it's important to have that recognised 206 00:11:31,680 --> 00:11:34,855 as having been attributable to occupational exposure 207 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:37,175 through your work. 208 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:41,175 The trust employing Rachel did report her case. 209 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:45,655 For me, it actually does confirm that I contracted the virus at work, 210 00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:49,815 which is vital because there is a lot of people with long Covid 211 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:51,815 who can't prove they got it at work. 212 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:54,415 This is documented evidence. 213 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:57,335 So, this could be the difference between me actually getting 214 00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:02,455 some help towards me having this long-term condition and not. 215 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:06,455 But she's one of only around 13,000 health care workers 216 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:09,135 whose cases have been reported. 217 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,495 With more than 1.5 million people working in health care 218 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:14,455 that number seems low. 219 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:15,895 We wanted to find out more, 220 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:20,455 so we sent an FOI request to the Health and Safety Executive. 221 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:25,135 The HSE sent us this email exchange, dated the 8th of April 2020, 222 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:27,535 with an unnamed NHS Trust. 223 00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:29,935 The trust says, "As things stand, 224 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:33,855 "all health care workers could be said to be exposed to Covid 225 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:35,615 "as a result of their work." 226 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:38,735 It adds that "staff would expect cases to be reported, 227 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:40,855 "which could be very detrimental 228 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:44,135 "to the already fragile morale in the workforce." 229 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:48,295 It doesn't give us a complete picture, 230 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:51,615 but does hint at why trusts in the middle of an emergency 231 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:55,175 may have been reluctant to report cases. 232 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:59,935 If trusts had Riddor reported all of their Covid cases with staff, 233 00:12:59,960 --> 00:13:01,975 what difference would it have made? 234 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:06,735 A dramatic difference, I think, because looking at the trends, 235 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:08,215 looking at statistics, 236 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:11,415 it would've identified that that group of workers in health care 237 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:14,855 were being disproportionately affected by the disease. 238 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:17,335 That would've raised all sorts of red flags. 239 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:20,455 It would've been a signal that we need to investigate why, 240 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:23,015 why is this happening? 241 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:27,775 The HSE says its "priority is to keep people safe at work." 242 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:31,535 It accepts Riddor reporting for health care staff doesn't reflect 243 00:13:31,560 --> 00:13:35,255 the accurate number of those infected at work and says 244 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:37,415 as community transmission increased, 245 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:41,135 it became difficult to be certain where people were infected. 246 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:44,135 Connie! 247 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:46,095 As the pandemic continued, 248 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:49,735 the stakes remained high for health care workers. 249 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:53,135 Shall we have a look in Jasmine's box? 250 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:54,935 Jasmine, look what's in there. 251 00:13:54,960 --> 00:14:01,215 Look, we have Mummy's lanyards. Wow! One of Mummy's lanyards, look... 252 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:05,175 In January 2021, health care assistant Becky Regan 253 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:08,095 was working at the North Tyneside Hospital. 254 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:11,335 She had three daughters and was around seven months pregnant 255 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:12,655 with her fourth. 256 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:15,135 Ancl Mummy used to put it around her neck like that 257 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:19,175 when she went into work, didn't she? Wow! That's Mummy's phone. 258 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:22,095 There were patients with Covid on her ward. 259 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:23,535 There's Mummy. 260 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:27,135 Who's that? Mama, jazzy. Yeah. 261 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:30,335 I miss Mummy. I know. Where is she? 262 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:32,135 Up the sky. Up the sky, yeah. 263 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:33,735 Right, right... 264 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,295 Becky had a history of difficult pregnancies. 265 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:42,135 This is a teddy bear and it's got "My mummy is an NHS hero" on. 266 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:45,815 How did she feel about being pregnant during a pandemic 267 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:47,415 and working in a hospital? 268 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:49,055 Really anxious. 269 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:53,815 She did have a lot of time off sick because of anxiety levels. 270 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:55,495 From the start of the pandemic, 271 00:14:55,520 --> 00:15:00,175 pregnant women were thought to be at greater risk from the virus. 272 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:06,455 We're talking the NHS had a vulnerable, high-risk pregnancy 273 00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:09,895 girl at 29-year-old. 274 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:11,775 She should never have been there. 275 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:15,135 Not for one shift, two shift or any shifts at all. 276 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:17,975 She should've been sent home. 277 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:21,335 Becky got sick with Covid. 278 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:26,375 She was admitted to hospital and later treated in intensive care. 279 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:30,615 Becky phoned me up at quarter to three in the morning 280 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:35,615 and she did say to us, "I'm going to die." 281 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:39,655 She said, "I'm going to die. Will you look after me girls?" 282 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:41,335 It's awful. 283 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:47,615 I just said, "No, you're not going to die. You're stronger than this." 284 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:50,775 Then they came on the phone and they said, "She's got to go. 285 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:53,135 "We've got to take her down." 286 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:56,615 Ancl they said, "Will you just tell her you'll look after her girls?" 287 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:57,655 So, that's... 288 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:01,455 Becky had an emergency caesarean. 289 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:03,135 She died a week later. 290 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:06,775 Her baby, jasmine, survived. 291 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:10,375 Nurses caring for her kept a diary. 292 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:13,175 "We're so sorry for your loss. You're having lots of cuddles. 293 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:16,695 "You're active and alert, kicking around your incubator. 294 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,175 "You love your milk, we give it to you every two hours." 295 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:22,695 Oh... 296 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:27,855 jasmine, who's two, now lives with her grandma Tracey. 297 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:31,695 Angel cakes, girls. 298 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:35,855 Becky's daughters are among almost 800 families across the UK 299 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:39,495 who got a one-off payment of £60,000 300 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:43,175 under a government scheme for health and social care workers who died. 301 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,215 It's only paid if it's more likely than not 302 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:49,735 the individual got the virus at work. 303 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:53,575 An inquest later this year 304 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:56,935 will consider the circumstances of Becky's death. 305 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:01,415 Northumbria Health Care Trust says it's "deeply saddened" by her loss 306 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:06,255 and says it's always followed national Covid guidance. 307 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:08,095 From the start of the pandemic, 308 00:17:08,120 --> 00:17:11,055 there was concern about the number of doctors, nurses 309 00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:13,015 and other staff who were dying. 310 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:19,175 In 2020, a review was ordered into the deaths of health 311 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:20,855 and social care workers. 312 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,495 The aim to ensure lessons were learned 313 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:25,695 to help protect front line staff, 314 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:28,975 something the then Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in this letter 315 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:33,975 was owed to those who'd given their lives in duty and in service. 316 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:36,495 The review has never been published. 317 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:38,495 We've talked to some people involved in it, 318 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:40,655 they don't want to speak out publicly 319 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:45,415 but say they're unhappy that it's not seen the light of day. 320 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:49,135 The review needs to be in the public and we need to learn from it. 321 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:54,575 The biggest tragedy would be if and when the next pandemic happens, 322 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:57,295 if we have those same failings again. 323 00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:01,095 We need to know what we did wrong, so next time this happens 324 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:03,415 we can do better. 325 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:05,855 We asked the government about the review. 326 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:07,415 It didn't respond. 327 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:13,295 Well, this is exciting, isn't it? 328 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:15,055 Mind your head. 329 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:18,335 It's a bit like flying, it'll pressurise you, just like a plane. 330 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:20,255 OK. OK? 331 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:23,455 Rachel and Gordon are so desperate to feel better 332 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,415 they're paying for experimental oxygen therapy 333 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:30,495 in a pressure chamber, similar to those used by divers. 334 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:40,335 I honestly think if we don't gain much from this oxygen therapy, 335 00:18:40,360 --> 00:18:42,455 it'll set our moods back massively 336 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:45,215 because it's the only thing we've got at the moment. 337 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:47,735 That's time up now, folks. 338 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,335 How was it? Yeah, it was all right. 339 00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:55,695 Yeah, it's the nicest date we've been on for a long time. 340 00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:57,095 First time in ages. 341 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:01,255 Rachel's still off work 342 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:04,295 and is trying to take a case against her trust. 343 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:07,615 Even though her infection was reported to the HSE, 344 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:11,495 she's worried that if the trust says it followed PPE guidance, 345 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:13,775 that may affect her chances. 346 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,335 I'm absolutely devastated. 347 00:19:21,360 --> 00:19:26,575 But I might not have a case against them now. 348 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:28,975 Ancl I just feel so angry. 349 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:39,055 I don't know if I can ever do my job again. 350 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:43,215 Rachel continues to worry about her health, but until recently, 351 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:46,215 she hasn't had to worry about money. 352 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:48,095 When the pandemic first started, 353 00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:51,415 new sick pay rules came in for many NHS staff. 354 00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:54,215 If they got coronavirus or long Covid 355 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,695 they could be paid in full until they got better. 356 00:19:57,720 --> 00:19:59,615 But that has changed. 357 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:02,655 Now they're being treated like anyone else 358 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:06,055 and some face going onto half pay in March. 359 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:10,935 Are you still on full pay? 360 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:15,695 I am initially and then pay will start dropping off. 361 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:18,415 So, how worried are you about money? 362 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:20,375 Really worried. Really worried. 363 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,855 I do appreciate the NHS can't pay us forever, 364 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:25,415 but there's hope we can actually bring something back 365 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:27,935 to the NHS again, you know? 366 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,255 The Torbay and South Devon Trust says it's "grateful" to staff 367 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:34,135 "who worked tirelessly during the pandemic." 368 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:36,535 It says it disputes Rachael's allegations 369 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:38,655 which are being "robustly defended" 370 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:41,375 and is "unable to comment further." 371 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,895 Do you want to get ready for school? Sure. 372 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:52,775 Dr Ekta Sahu also has long Covid 373 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:55,215 and is trying to get back to work. 374 00:20:56,840 --> 00:21:00,135 So, I realise I can't do any burst of activities. 375 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:02,215 It has to be slow pace. 376 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:07,175 Fatigue is the most prominent symptom, which is most disabling. 377 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:11,615 Today, she's hoping to get through a four-hour shift. 378 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:14,055 Bit nervous because first clay back to work 379 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:19,455 after five and a half months, so don't know how it would go. 380 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:22,495 Ekta's moved hospitals since she got long Covid. 381 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:24,575 She says the new trust in Warwickshire 382 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:28,295 took her on while she was ill and are very supportive. 383 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:33,455 I am someone who are fighting to come to a normal life. 384 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:35,775 I don't want a benefit. 385 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:37,695 I want to progress in my career. 386 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:40,135 I want to become a consultant paediatrician. 387 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:47,295 She's glad to be back at work, but it's tough. 388 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:49,055 Normally, this is my place. 389 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:51,535 I relax here, sit here. 390 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,855 I didn't see any patients, so that part I missed. 391 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:58,775 But I felt good at least I could do some of the work. 392 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:00,375 It's just a bit emotional. 393 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,615 It's a big clay. 394 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:05,895 It's a big clay. Definitely a big clay. 395 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:09,055 No certainty about the future, 396 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:12,815 but you still try to be positive. 397 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:16,415 It's hard, but I will get there. 398 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:19,415 She wants the impact of Covid on health care workers 399 00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:21,535 to be formally acknowledged. 400 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:23,775 I think the long Covid should be recognised 401 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:26,735 as occupationally acquired industrial illness 402 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:31,535 because other people had the choice to protect themselves from it, 403 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:33,055 health worker didn't have. 404 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:34,935 They were exposed to it. 405 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,735 I've come to meet an MP who agrees. 406 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,215 Layla Moran chairs a cross-party group 407 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:48,855 looking at the UK's handling of the pandemic. 408 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:52,015 I think there are certain professions, 409 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:53,735 health and social care staff, 410 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:55,215 it's transport workers, 411 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:58,495 it's teachers who are far more likely to be getting Covid 412 00:22:58,520 --> 00:22:59,735 and long Covid. 413 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:03,135 We need to recognise long Covid as an occupational disease, 414 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:05,695 so that if they find themselves not able to work 415 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:09,375 they are able to get the support that they so richly deserve. 416 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:12,055 They want health care workers to be compensated 417 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:14,695 like they are in some other countries. 418 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:19,375 We are falling behind our peers in our recognition of this 419 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:23,215 as a real disease that needs proper recognition and compensation. 420 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,335 So, all those front line workers that we clapped for on a Thursday, 421 00:23:26,360 --> 00:23:29,175 especially the ones who have lost their job, don't have any money now, 422 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,495 have something that they can fall back on. 423 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:33,495 What would the financial implications be 424 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:35,415 of the compensation scheme you're asking for? 425 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:37,735 That's a lot of money to be paying out when there's not a lot 426 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:38,855 of money coming in. 427 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,055 I would also point out that we can't afford not to. 428 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:43,455 If they're well supported back into work 429 00:23:43,480 --> 00:23:45,455 then that would help the other crises 430 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:47,215 that we are dealing with right now. 431 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:52,095 Last year, scientists confirmed what many health care workers 432 00:23:52,120 --> 00:23:56,855 have suspected all along about the risks they were exposed to. 433 00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:02,455 They had more than double the risk of, first of all, 434 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:07,255 being infected clue to the proximity to patients and clients 435 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:14,135 and more than double the risk of dying from Covid. 436 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,335 Her council's now advising the government 437 00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:19,215 that health and social care workers with complications 438 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:23,015 following Covid, like lung scarring or heart attacks, 439 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:26,775 should be eligible for industrial injuries benefits. 440 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:31,135 But no recommendation's been made about long Covid itself. 441 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:32,895 The trouble with long Covid is that 442 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:36,015 there isn't a, really, an agreed definition. 443 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:39,055 There are lots and lots of different symptoms reported. 444 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:41,295 Most of it is self-reported 445 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:45,135 because there aren't agreed diagnostic tests. 446 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:51,135 So, at this stage, we don't really have enough data. 447 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:53,935 Do you think you'll ever have that information? I'm not sure we will. 448 00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:56,655 But we won't give up, we'll keep looking. 449 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:01,975 So, how many NHS staff are off work with long Covid? 450 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:04,655 These numbers aren't recorded in England and Wales, 451 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:09,855 but they are in Northern Ireland and Scotland - with 0.6% and 0.3% 452 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:11,735 of their workforce absent. 453 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,655 If these rates were reflected across the UK, 454 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:19,855 it could mean between 5,000 and 10,000 NHS staff off sick. 455 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:24,055 We have this group of people, they're just in a no-man's-land, 456 00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:26,335 we don't have the support for them. 457 00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:29,175 And, actually, that genuinely makes me angry 458 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:30,735 that we've got a group of people 459 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:35,695 that have put themselves forward to look after the population. 460 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:37,535 It's just not acceptable. 461 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:43,375 I haven't been able to work for two years. 462 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:48,615 In fact, I'm now on statutory sick pay 463 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:51,575 and I'm facing the loss 464 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:53,415 of my job and income. 465 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:57,535 And it's just not fair for us to put our necks on the line 466 00:25:57,560 --> 00:25:59,135 and to be treated this way. 467 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:02,615 We've had to sell the family home because we know 468 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:06,215 that I won't have any income shortly, 469 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,535 as many NHS staff now are losing their income. 470 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:11,295 When Brenda Eadie got Covid, 471 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,135 she was working as an NHS nurse in a prison. 472 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:18,655 She accepts she isn't going to be well enough to return to her job. 473 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:22,335 How do you feel right now? 474 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:25,975 Angry, it's angry and scared that the NHS workers 475 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:28,255 and myself put my life at risk 476 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:30,335 and ended up disabled. 477 00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:34,535 She's only 45 but had hoped to take early retirement on the grounds 478 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:37,135 of ill health because of long Covid. 479 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:40,455 Things didn't go the way she'd hoped. 480 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:44,375 Got a phone call from a manager to let me know that a letter 481 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:47,375 was coming in the post, not to panic when I seen it. 482 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:50,135 Ancl it was my termination of employment. 483 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:54,655 Ancl I was just like, "Oh, OK. What do I do now, then?" 484 00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:57,695 Ancl I was told, "Well, I don't know. 485 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:00,935 "I guess you just take that letter to the benefits agency." 486 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:02,455 She's now unemployed. 487 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:07,695 I clone what was asked of me, I went into the front line, 488 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,415 I clone my job, and now I'm just collateral damage. 489 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:15,855 Her employers say it would be inappropriate to comment on 490 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:17,255 an individual case, 491 00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:21,775 but say they do "not recognise a number of points" raised by Brenda. 492 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:25,655 They say they ensure "all HR policies set at a national level 493 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:28,255 "are followed at all times." 494 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:32,735 The government accepts that long Covid is having an impact on the NHS 495 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:35,095 and says its guidelines encourage managers 496 00:27:35,120 --> 00:27:39,215 to "test all options" to support staff to get back to work. 497 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:43,535 It says it "will respond openly" to the Covid-19 public inquiry. 498 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:50,055 The inquiry will start taking evidence in May. 499 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:53,775 It's expected to be one of the largest in UK history. 500 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:56,375 Scotland's holding its own inquiry. 501 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,175 We need to learn from our mistakes, but to learn from them, 502 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:04,055 we have to own them and acknowledge them 503 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:07,655 and that's not happening at the moment. 504 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:11,215 But it may be years before health workers get answers. 505 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:14,775 Many say they can't afford to wait. 506 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:18,415 We're back in the open world now where Covid doesn't exist any more 507 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:21,655 and life's not really like that for the rest of us left behind.