For intensive care specialist Dr Celia Bradford, the COVID-19 crisis is the “single most” challenging time in her 20 year career in intensive care.

Working in Royal North Shore Hospital’s intensive care unit, Dr Bradford is part of a team of medical specialists who are treating COVID-19 patients, many of them young.

Both RNSH and Hornsby Ku-ring-gai hospitals are caring for COVID-19 patients as part of the NSW Health’s whole-of-system pandemic response, supporting the Sydney Health Accommodation (SHA) and western Sydney hospitals which are treating a high volume of patients where community transmission remains high.

As part of the NSLHD’s response, the dedicated COVID-19 ward has opened in the Douglas Building at RNSH. With 55 beds, the ward is designed to care for low risk patients who may have COVID-19 or who are transitioning back to their homes or aged care facilities. 

Built last year, the ward supports the acute services where ICU and respiratory departments are treating COVID-19 patients who require extra support.

Deputy Head of Intensive Care Dr Sarah Wesley encouraged anyone still undecided about vaccination or who hasn’t received theirs to go and do so.

“COVID-19 patients are spending a very long time in ICU,” she said.

“Unlike patients with pneumonia and other diseases who might spend a few days, our COVID-19 patients are particularly those who are on life support or some type of breathing machine, they are spending two to four weeks at a minimum with us.

“The biggest message from healthcare workers working frontline looking after COVID-19 patients is to get vaccinated as soon as you can.”

At Hornsby, the hospital has enacted its COVID-19 plan with its ICU seeing a number of patients with COVID-19.

Across the district, nurses and other health professionals have temporarily stepped out of their normal roles to work in the SHA.