Almost 700 community nursing and therapy staff have been working hard throughout the pandemic to provide treatment to patients in their own homes across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Patients would face longer hospital stays, or be less likely to make a full recovery without the visiting clinicians, who make their calls seven days-a-week. Many patients are able to avoid going to hospital at all, receiving all their care at home instead.

The workload for the nurses and therapists includes Covid-positive patients who are able to be cared for at home, as well as patients with other serious or chronic illnesses, those who are recovering from operations and accidents, frail patients with long term conditions and those who need end-of-life care.

Tia, a healthcare assistant based in Harborough, said it was “quite common” that Covid-positive patients were among her daily visit list.

She added: “People don’t know about it out in the community but it is more common especially in the elderly.

“Sometimes we are the only people to visit – family members have been banned from visiting many of them.”

Suzy is a staff nurse based in Hinckley. She said: “I’m really proud of the work that the nurses here and everywhere have done coping with the pandemic. I think we’ve adapted.

“I’m especially proud of the way the team have taken on the end-of-life patients that have come home either from hospital or have been diagnosed at home. We facilitated their wish that to die at home rather than in hospital.”

Nima, a therapy lead based in Leicester, said: “We’re trying to keep some patients at home, and for others we’re trying to facilitate them to come out of hospital that little bit quicker.”

Sam, a staff nurse from Leicester said: “We have got the PPE we need so for every patient we’re prepared for the scenario whether they’re positive not positive.”

Tia added: “Just remember us as a team – we are out here tackling the virus, it’s not just in hospitals and we do like to help and we like to make a difference.”

To hear more from the team, follow this link: https://youtu.be/dPxmTdfewOs .

To find out more about joining the team, go to www.leicspart.nhs.uk/jobs .