Workers with the St John's Ambulance service have share their stories battling coronavirus on the frontlines of the pandemic at Chertsey Hospitals.

Ambulance workers from the non-profit charity joined NHS health professionals at the Ashford and St Peters' Hospitals in Chertsey last month at the height of the pandemic.

Since the outbreak of the virus in the UK, the national health and first aid charity has supported the NHS by providing ambulance crews, plus highly-trained volunteers to work in hospitals up and down the country.

St John's say they have delivered over 100,000 hours of service to communities in the area since the beginning of April.

The charity are now working in partnership with Ashford St. Peter’s NHS Trust in Chertsey, providing volunteers to support clinical teams in the emergency department and wards at St. Peter’s.

St John Ambulance’s medical director, Dr Lynn Thomas, said: “In hospital emergency departments and associated wards, we’re sending in our experienced first aiders to work under the supervision of nursing staff.

“Their role will be similar to that performed by healthcare assistants in a hospital setting, including routine work such as assisting patients with eating and drinking, patient hygiene, taking and noting observations, and general care and cleaning.”

Matthew Barker, deputy chief nurse at St Peters' who helped bring in the St John's volunteers, expressed his thanks for their efforts:

"I am really grateful for the time people have given and impressed by the willingness to work all shifts over the 24-hour period," he said.

St John Ambulance volunteer Michael Penn also shared his thoughts about the remarkable team effort: "Already, I feel our volunteers are having an incredibly positive impact, both for NHS staff and patients.

"Whether it’s taking observations, fetching a patient a drink, or simply sitting down to keep someone company as they receive treatment, our volunteers are playing a vital role in supporting the NHS during extraordinary circumstances.

"The clinical skills, resilience and compassion of St John volunteers really matter in an emergency like this," he said.