Covid 19 - NHS doctors

March 2020

On the 16th of March, the UK government discouraged all non essential travel in the UK, due to the Coronavirus Pandemic and by the 23rd of March the Country was in full lockdown. The hospitals were struggling with the large wave of Covid19 infections and ICU unit were desperately trying to keep people alive.

I got a message on Sunday the 22nd from Caz Robert, Grazia art director, asking if I would be ok to do some photos of doctors in hospital around London for next weeks issue. I was both excited and trepidatious as hospitals were pretty much the most dangerous place to go and a hotbed of infection. I said yes, but suggested that we shoot outside for consistency and safety.

They wanted to feature each of the doctors / Nurses on a separate cover of the magazine, paying respect to the amazing work the NHS was doing - so no pressure…

On the 24th and 25th of March I visited hospitals around the capital and photographed Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics, either before or after their shifts - still very much in shock from the things they were seeing and having to do, to save peoples lives, who had got this terrible virus.

It was extremely raw and I was working with whatever I could find around the hospital for backdrops - as we wanted one environmental shot and one backdrop shot as options for the cover. But the doctors with their stillness, stoicism and exhaustion was what struck me the most.

Grazia were extremely happy and the photos made 4 covers and generated a lot of press and publicity. Anna Silverman, did some excellent interviews, excepts of which you can read if you hover over the pictures.

I think it really impressive that Grazia had the foresight to do this story - as many other have since followed. I’m also honoured that they trusted me to make the portraits.

Doctors at NHS Hospital dealing with the Coronavirus Pandemic

Coronavirus Diptychs - Doctors at NHS Hospitals dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.Intensive Care Unit doctor Janitha Gowribalan works at The Whittington Hospital, in London.

"A man in his 50's is struggling to breathe, so we have to quickly make lifesaving, unavoidable decisions to induce a coma and place him on a ventilator. He’s frightened and asking for us to ring his wife and children. He’s struggling to speak through his tight-fitted mask but, if he takes it off, his oxygen levels will plummet. It’s upsetting telling him it’s not possible for us to call his family now. I think about how terrified I would feel if I couldn’t speak to my parents in his position. We have to act fast as his oxygen levels dramatically fall when we induce the coma – this is normal and we expect it, but it still feels frightening. If it falls too low, a person can go into respiratory or cardiac arrest."

Date: 24 March 2020

FOR MORE FROM THIS SERIES, VISIT THE PERSONAL SECTION, COVID 19 GALLERY

Doctors at NHS Hospital dealing with the Coronavirus Pandemic

Coronavirus Diptychs - Doctors at NHS Hospital dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Paramedic Sarah Blanchard works with Essex ambulance service. Photographed at Whipps Cross Hospital, in London.

"A crucial part of my job is to calm and reassure the terrified people whose lives we are trying to save. As we speed to the hospital in the back of an ambulance, I hold their hands during what is one of the most frightening times in their lives. What I can’t bear about treating those infected with Covid-19 is having to keep my distance as their panic-stricken eyes search my face for signs of what’s to come. The truth is, I don’t know. Nobody does. Some of the patients I have taken to hospital have got better, some of them have not."

Date: 24 March 2020

FOR MORE FROM THIS SERIES, VISIT THE PERSONAL SECTION, COVID 19 GALLERY

Doctors at NHS Hospital dealing with the Coronavirus Pandemic

Coronavirus Diptychs - Doctors at NHS Hospitals dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. A&E doctor Rosena Alli Khan works at St Georges Hospital, in London. She is also a Labour MP.

"The coronavirus death rate in this country is going up by the day and we – the NHS workers – are worried. There’s a huge sense of sadness and trepidation among us all. Colleagues are messaging me at 2am saying their minds are whizzing and they can’t sleep. On my way home from the hospital, I call ahead to tell my family not to let my two little girls, who are five and six, run up to hug me at the door. Before I can be with them, I have to shower and wash my clothes. All the time I’m terrified of spreading the infection to the people I love."

Date: 24 March 2020

FOR MORE FROM THIS SERIES, VISIT THE PERSONAL SECTION, COVID 19 GALLERY

NHS Hospital dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus Diptychs -

A&E Senior Nurse Richenda works at Kings College Hospital, in London.

"Last week, when a woman distraught with grief came to the hospital and told me she was desperate to see her husband, I had to be blunt about the risks to her health. She told me her son had begged her not to come but her husband was dying and she had to be by his side. Helping families who can’t be together in these moments is upsetting. I stay strong for my patients at work, but at home, on rare days off, I process everything. We need to think of innovative ways for people to communicate with patients in isolation, such as using video calls to say goodbye. I’m also finding it challenging to show empathy through protective equipment and masks – I rely so heavily on my facial expressions."

Date: 26 March 2020

Grazia Covers

The four different Grazia UK covers published