A chaplain for King George and neighbouring hospitals is encouraging people affected by the pandemic to get in touch – even if they are not religious.

The chaplaincy team at the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust has been a source of support to patients, relatives and staff throughout the pandemic.

Alison Horncastle, a chaplain at the Trust for the last eight years, is keen to point out they are here for all staff, not just those who are religious.

The chaplain explained that many colleagues are struggling with the rate of patients deteriorating in recent months.

As chaplain, debrief sessions have been held when many patients died in a single day.

Talking about the hardships her colleagues faced, she said: “A lot of them are being redeployed to help in our Intensive Care Unit (ITU) and they can be really fearful and worried they don’t know what they’re doing. Staff on the unit are busy so they have to learn quickly.

“It can also be quite stressful going from a senior role in our theatres, to being a junior team member on our ITU. I help to reassure them there’s a lot they do know.”

As well as supporting staff on a one-to-one team basis, the chaplaincy team also enabled patients to speak with their loved ones through donated iPads, picked up packages and reading patients their Christmas cards.

She added: “We’ve seen entire families wiped out by this virus. Seeing people lose both parents is very sad and on three occasions recently we’ve seen couples die very close together.

“We’ve had moments ourselves when we need support, I’ve come back to the office and had a sniffle. That’s why it’s important we have a good team and we support each other.”

Chaplains are available 24 hours a day to offer support. You contact them via email, the switchboard, 01708 435 000, extension 3201 or 6255 at Queen’s Hospital, and 8494 at King George Hospital.