Highgate steps up work with NHS as Army sends essential equipment to the health service

Highgate Private Hospital has transferred essential equipment to the NHS and sent staff to be trained with a local NHS hospital as part of its response to Covid-19.

Highgate was made available to the NHS in March to help the health service tackle coronavirus and has been treating patients for the last three weeks.

The hospital is now stepping up its work with nearby NHS hospitals, including Whittington Hospital in Archway, by sending more than a dozen of its staff to train and work with the NHS. Staff from Highgate will fill in for NHS shortages at the hospital and provide essential care and treatment for patients in need.

The partnership between Highgate and the Whittington Hospital is one example of the effective and positive relationships that have been struck between the independent sector and the NHS as healthcare staff across the country come together to care for patients.

Highgate has committed its resources including staff and equipment to the NHS for an indefinite period of time to help fight the virus.

The hospital has cared for a number of patients over the past three weeks including people with weakened immune system reducing their ability to fight infections and patients recovering from orthopaedic treatments such as hip and knee surgeries.

Last week, with the help of the British Army, Highgate transferred seven Carescape monitors to a local NHS Trust, enabling the close observation of critically ill patients with various illnesses, including those with Covid-19. The monitors are an essential component to providing care for patients and will support NHS healthcare staff to make fully informed decisions at every stage of patient care.

These top-of-the-range bedside monitors, each one with its own transducer, enable world-class care for patients whose condition required constant supervision and important changes in treatment. Accurately and constantly displaying the patients’ heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels and breathing rate.

As the device can be reused once an individual patient no longer needs it, local NHS staff could end up potentially using the monitors to track how hundreds of coronavirus patients are doing in hospital.

Highgate has turned over the equipment to a local NHS Trust for an indefinite period of time. Earlier this month Highgate transferred life-saving anaesthetic machines to the NHS.

Douglas Watson, Hospital Director at Highgate Hospital, said: “We’re working incredibly hard alongside the NHS to give patients the support they need at this critical time. We know London has been particularly hard hit from the coronavirus, and we remain determined to help the health service whatever way we can and for as long as we need to.”

Highgate staff are backing the government’s campaign asking people to stay at home.