Prince William says he is concerned about the mental health of UK ambulance drivers, police officers and other first responders who are experiencing staggering levels of grief and death as coronavirus cases arise
William, a former search and rescue helicopter pilot, told emergency workers on video call that they do not have to be afraid to ask for help despite their tendency to help others in the first place.
“I’m afraid… you’re all so busy caring for everyone else that you don’t take enough time to take care of yourself, and we won’t see the impact for a long time, ” William, second a man according to the British Crown, said on a tape released late Friday.
The British healthcare system is astonishing in that a more contagious variant of the coronavirus combined with cold, wet winter weather is putting unprecedented pressure on hospitals and emergency staff.
The London Ambulance Service says they receive around 8,000 emergency calls a day, compared to 5,500 on a typical busy day. But the pressure is being felt across the emergency services. Hundreds of firefighters, for example, have volunteered to drive ambulances to put pressure on supervised services.
The rise in infections across the UK has pushed the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 to 37,282, more than 70% higher than in the first peak of the pandemic in April. Britain has reported 87,448 coronavirus-related deaths, more than any other country in Europe and the fifth highest in the world.
Eleven months into the pandemic, the distance is taxing the men and women who first answer calls for help.
But many emergency workers do not take advantage of counseling and other support programs because they focus too much on responding to the emergency, said Phil Spencer, a police investigator who coordinating wellness programs for the Cleveland Police force in the northeast of England.
“Perhaps further down the line, when all this is gone, we will have broken police officers and emergency services staff, because we are too busy focusing on protecting the most vulnerable, ”Said Spencer to the prince and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
William and Kate have ended the stigma associated with mental health issues as a focus of their charity work.
As the couple chatted to emergency workers and counselors, William shared his own experiences working as a helicopter pilot for the East Anglian Ambulance.
“I think a lot of the public don’t understand that when you’re surrounded by the intense level of sadness and grief and sadness, it’s really living with you at home, he stays with you for weeks on end, doesn’t he? ‘ he said. “And you see the world in a much darker, darker, darker place.”
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