The Covid-19 outbreak put demands on our hospitals the likes of which we haven’t seen before. New treatments and ways of working were needed to care for patients with this new disease.

Here at Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity we were very grateful to NHS Charities Together who came through with crucial funding when we needed it. They funded  the redeployment of physiotherapist Chloe from paediatric care to treating adult Covid-19 patients.

Chloe said: “From the moment I returned from maternity leave in March, I was thrust into the Covid-19 pandemic and all it brought with it. It was an intense experience.”

Physiotherapy is an important part of a patient’s recovery from Covid-19. Royal Brompton Hospital has been treating some of the most severe cases of Covid-19 and having physiotherapists on hand to help patients with their recovery was a crucial part of how the hospital rose to the challenge of the new disease.

“Physio is physically demanding with children, but being presented with a new disease, working with adults and wearing full PPE all day, even more so. It was hard, sweaty, I was exhausted every day but you run on adrenaline,” Chloe said.

Chloe worked with a large number of patients and was instrumental in their recovery. “I was a big part of the discharge process, setting personalised rehab goals for when I thought a patient would be ready to go home,” she said.

Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity want to say a big thank you to NHS Charities Together for providing the funding for Chloe’s redeployment and for helping the hospital respond to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Chloe said: “I missed the children, it’s what I love doing. But I’m also proud of what I achieved, what we achieved as a team of physiotherapists and as an organisation. The patients were reliant on us to keep them well and fit to go home.”