Where to seek help about self harm as cases rise

Good evening,

It seems pretty unbelievable at this stage in the pandemic for a doctor here in Lancashire to have to point out ‘This is real - and you could lose your whole family’.
He should know.
In the wards at the Royal Preston Hospital he’s seen families who have lost multiple members - they have even had three siblings on the ward at once.
The majority of patients on the Intensive Care Unit are now Covid patients, many on ventilators. It can take four to five people 40 to 50 minutes to turn one of them over.
This is reality and it’s a horrific one.
Staff have been opted in from other departments to find themselves on night shift on intensive care. The pressures on these remarkable, hard-working, individuals is traumatising. They are growing close bonds to patients, caring for them and them seeing them die.
Sometimes only spelling out the realities can bring them home. So if you read one story tonight, read Catherine Musgrove’s chat with the ICU boss of your local hospital. And we can all play our part in beating this thing.

Stay safe, and best wishes,

Gillian Parkinson

Editor