Dragon Interview: Royal Surrey’s Chief Executive Gives Pandemic Update

Published on: 8 Jan, 2021
Updated on: 10 Jan, 2021

The Royal Surrey County Hospital

As news arrives (January 8) of the highest daily number of Covid related deaths nationally, since the pandemic commenced last year, Louise Stead, the Chief Exec of our local hospital, tells Dragon editor Martin Giles about the current situation at the Royal Surrey County Hospital Trust.

She answers questions about the level of Covid activity the number of ICU beds in use, the mortality rate, improvements in Covid treatment, visiting rules, non-Covid treatment safety and staff morale.

And the Guildford Ward, built rapidly, last year, in the wake of the “first wave” of the pandemic and designed specifically for treating those with respitatory disease such as Covid-19, has proved to be “an absolute life-saver” she says.

Finally, Louise Stead tells us the best way to support those in the front line of the fight against Covid…

Responses to Dragon Interview: Royal Surrey’s Chief Executive Gives Pandemic Update

Julie Howarth Reply

January 9, 2021 at 11:29 am

Thank you Martin Giles and Louise Stead for keeping us all informed about the situation at the hospital. It is very helpful in these anxious times to know that we can rely on The Guildford Dragon to report on the local situation, hard as it is to take.

We wish there was a way to send all the key workers the extra stamina they need to get through. But rest assured they are in our thoughts as we “stay at home”. Their dedication and the sacrifices they are making are very much appreciated.

Good luck and thanks everyone involved in the vaccine roll-out too.
Carol Norris Reply

January 9, 2021 at 3:16 pm

Thank you for an excellent piece. Lots of helpful information put across so clearly and calmly.
We are fortune to have The Dragon and very, very, very fortunate to have the RSCH.
Sam Daniel Reply

January 16, 2021 at 2:10 pm

Thank you so much to all the heroes at the Royal Surrey County Hospital. You are doing amazing work and my words are totally inadequate to thank you for your great selfless work.

I am a Covid survivor of the first wave and thanks to all the angels at Royal Surrey, I am alive to bear witness to their great work. God bless you all.

This comment was originally posted on our YouTube channel. Ed