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COVID-19 timeline (March – September 2020)

2020

After a new coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China, the UK detected its first cases in late January. As the virus spread internationally, Italy experienced the first European surge in February.

MARCH 2020

4 March    

Cases of COVID-19 increase in the UK, with officials announcing the biggest one-day increase so far of 34 cases bringing the total to 87.

12 March

Staff are asked to test technology which will enable them to work from home if needed.

13 March    

Visiting is limited to one essential visitor per patient following guidance from NHS England to help prevent the spread of the virus. Our restaurants, coffee shops, retail shops and other facilities are “temporarily closed” to members of the public.

Many patients who are due to visit our hospitals for outpatient appointments are offered telephone consultations instead.  

Staff are asked not to travel internationally and almost all recruitment to clinical research studies at both sites is postponed – with just a few exemptions.  

16 March    

Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers the first of many daily news conferences urging everybody in the UK to work from home and avoid pubs and restaurants to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, to give the NHS time to cope with the pandemic.  

17 March    

The first patient with COVID-19 is admitted to Royal Brompton Hospital.

19 March    

Access to hospital sites is limited. This is monitored carefully by security staff.  

20 March    

Cafés, pubs, bars and restaurants in England are told to close tonight. Schools also close their doors except for children of key workers or those who are deemed vulnerable.  

A programme begins to provide all staff with hot meals and sandwiches free of charge while they are working on-site. Several companies offer discounts on food and drink to NHS staff.  

23 March

The first UK lockdown is announced by the Prime Minister on national television who says: “From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay at home.”  

Following guidance from NHS England, Royal Brompton’s paediatric intensive care unit prepares to start caring for adults. Our paediatric team works with colleagues at Evelina London and Great Ormond Street Hospital so the necessary support for specialist children’s referrals is available.  

24 March

Over 300 clinical staff have now undertaken specialist training on how to safely manage patients with COVID-19.  

26 March

National lockdown measures legally come into force in England and Clap for our Carers starts.  

Tighter visiting restrictions are introduced at the Trust. Visitors are now only allowed in exceptional circumstances.

Work to reconfigure services across the Trust is on-going. This includes moving Fulham Road inpatient services and staff to the Sydney Street site at Royal Brompton Hospital.  

All staff annual leave is cancelled for April.

Trust chief executive Bob Bell announces that Harefield, along with St Bartholomew's Hospital, will become responsible for London’s emergency cardiac surgery, should other cardiac surgery units in London become unable to provide their usual services.  

He says the Trust is also increasing the availability of critical care beds to around 80 ventilated beds at each hospital.  

The Trust is asked to identify staff who will temporarily be ‘seconded’ to the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre to help deal with the expected surge in demand for ventilated critical care beds in London.

A range of support tools, processes and training are put in place to ensure outpatients’ telephone appointments can run smoothly, including reconfiguring online technology (MedChart) to allow our clinicians to prescribe medication remotely.  

Staff are offered free access to NHS digital wellbeing services.  

27 March

The Prime Minister tests positive for coronavirus.

28 March

The number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients being cared for at the Trust has risen to 41 at Royal Brompton and 10 at Harefield.

30 March

COVID-19 testing for Trust NHS frontline staff is offered at Wembley.

APRIL 2020

1 April     

Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital’s Charity launches a COVID-19 Emergency Appeal to raise money for the Trust’s fight against coronavirus.

5 April

The Prime Minister is admitted to hospital with coronavirus. He leaves hospital a week later.

9 April

The number of COVID-19 patients continues to rise at the Trust. There are now 58 patients at Royal Brompton and 37 at Harefield.

Trust staff develop and launch a new family liaison service for inpatients in response to the restrictions on visiting. The service accepts referrals from the critical care family liaison team and wards, and can offer psychological support, spiritual support, welfare advice and end of life and bereavement support.  

16 April

Lockdown is extended for ‘at least’ three weeks. The government sets out five tests that must be met before restrictions are eased.

17 April

In response to a shortage of surgical gowns across the country, our clinicians develop a blueprint to create a supply chain for the Trust and a team of more than 300 volunteers help to transform surgical drapes into more than 30,400 surgical gowns.

18 April

COVID-19 patient numbers continue to increase with 72 critically ill patients at Royal Brompton Hospital and 45 at Harefield Hospital.

27 April

Staff who require a COVID-19 test can now request one at one of our hospital sites rather than externally.  

28 April

A one-minute silence is held nationally to honour all key workers who have died from coronavirus.  

30 April

The Prime Minister says “we are past the peak” of the pandemic.

MAY 2020

5 May

The UK surpasses Italy to become the country with the highest declared death toll in Europe, with more than 32,000 fatalities.

8 May

The number of COVID-19 patients being cared for at the Trust is gradually falling with 41 at Royal Brompton and 10 at Harefield.

10 May

The Prime Minister announces a conditional plan for lifting lockdown, and says that people who cannot work from home should return to the workplace but avoid public transport.  

20 May

We continue to try and provide the best care for patients with a wide range of complex heart and lung conditions. Many patients are concerned about visiting for surgery, or scans and tests, that can only be carried out in hospital. Our teams work hard to provide information and reassurance – calling patients to book appointments and explaining all the measures we have in place to create the safest possible environment.  

JUNE 2020

1 June

Phased re-opening of schools in England.

4 June

Our chief executive Bob Bell says that over the last three months Trust staff have performed 225 cardiac surgery and 474 catheter laboratory procedures, six transplants, and carried out 25,000 outpatient appointments (via telephone or video) – despite the pandemic.

15 June

All staff entering hospital buildings have to wear surgical face masks to comply with new government rules.

21 June

As the first wave subsides across the country, the number of COVID-19 patients at the Trust continues to fall. Now there are 11 cases at Royal Brompton and five at Harefield.

23 June

The Prime Minister says the UK’s “national hibernation” is coming to an end – and announces relaxing of restrictions and the two-metre social distancing rule.

25 June

Members of Harefield Hospital’s lung transplant team invite patients to join them for their first ever live webinar to discuss COVID-19.

JULY 2020

1 July

The Trust's cardiac sarcoidosis team hosts its first webinar for patients to explore the challenges and implications of COVID-19 for people living with cardiac sarcoidosis.

4 July

UK’s first local lockdown comes into force in Leicester and parts of Leicestershire. More restrictions are eased in England, including reopening of pubs, restaurants, hairdressers.

8 July

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces a new Eat Out To Help Out scheme will run during August.

13 July

A record 139 people attend the Trust’s Annual General meeting, which is held virtually for the first time. Chief executive Bob Bell tells the audience that the Trust is now in a recovery phase operating on average between 65-70 per cent of normal activities and gradually increasing this.

31 July

Trust chief executive Bob Bell reminds staff that we are not over the ‘COVID-19 challenge’ and still have seven patients with coronavirus in our hospitals.

AUGUST 2020

3 August

Work continues to enable the safe delivery of elective and non-elective activity.

11 August

A virtual coffee morning held by the paediatric inherited cardiac conditions (ICC) team, to provide support and ease anxieties about coronavirus, proves a great success with parents of children with cardiomyopathy.

14 August

Lockdown restrictions eased further, including reopening indoor theatres, bowling alleys and soft play.

24 August

By late August, a total of just four COVID-19 patients are being cared for at the Trust.

SEPTEMBER 2020

14 September

‘Rule of Six’ introduced. Indoor and outdoor social gatherings above six banned in England.  

22 September

The Prime Minister announces new restrictions in England, including a return to working from home and a 10pm curfew for the hospitality sector.

24 September

More than one million people download the government’s new contact-tracing app for England and Wales within its first day of release.

30 September

Prime Minister says the UK is at a “critical moment” in the crisis and he would “not hesitate” to impose further restrictions if needed.


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