SEVERAL military personnel have arrived at a Sussex hospital to support efforts during the coronavirus crisis.
This comes as hospital sites across the county are placed under huge strain by the extra demand increasing numbers of Covid patients are placing upon them.
The seven military personnel from the 12th and 16th Royal Artillery have been enlisted to help support portering and rapid response cleaning teams at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT) sites.
Five of them will work in the portering team and two will work with the rapid response cleaning team at Eastbourne District General Hospital (DGH).
They will not be involved in any direct patient care, a spokesman for the trust has confirmed.
Kevin Hodge, ESHT operations facilities manager, said: “We would like to thank the military personnel for this assistance to help support our portering and rapid response cleaning teams during these challenging times."
Bombardier Dominic Massey, one of the military personnel deployed to Eastbourne, said: “We are really pleased to be here to help the NHS and support staff at the hospital.”
These seven military personnel are among 20 who are currently supporting the NHS in Sussex.
An ESHT spokesman said: "(They) are deployed to some of the larger acute hospitals, supporting estates and facilities teams.
"Across the country, the armed forces and the NHS have been working closely throughout the pandemic.
"A number of military personnel have been made available to support the NHS across the South East at this very busy time."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel