Airlines ask grounded staff to answer NHS volunteer call
Virgin Atlantic and Easyjet have written to grounded staff members asking them to help in the NHS’ new Nightingale hospitals in a bid to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Easyjet has already contacted all 9,000 of its employees, including 4,000 or so cabin crew staff trained in CPR, whilst Virgin will begin writing to 4,000 of its staff tomorrow, starting with those with the right training.
The NHS has announced plans to open three new Nightingale hospitals in London, Manchester and Birmingham in order to boost bed capacity to handle the expected surge in coronavirus cases.
The three new hospitals which each initially have 500 beds, but all have the capacity to serve at least double that number of cases.
The NHS has also freed up 33,000 beds in existing facilities across the country, the equivalent of about 50 hospitals, chief executive Sir Simon Stephens said on Friday.
Airline staff who volunteer for the roles will be put in clinical support roles, under the close instruction of nurses and senior clinicians on the wards.
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Support workers will change beds, tend to patients and assist doctors and nurses working on the wards.
Virgin Atlantic’s chief customer officer Corneel Koster said: We are very grateful to the NHS for everything they are doing in extremely challenging circumstances and we’re committed to doing all we can to support the national effort against the rapid acceleration of Covid-19.”
Tina Milton, Easyjet’s director of cabin services, said: “We have all needed the NHS at some point in our lives and so we are so proud that our crew can now help to support the NHS at this crucial time”.
Staff and volunteers working at the new facilities will be given accommodation and have meals provided to them.
In total, over 700,000 people have already answered the NHS’ call for volunteers to support it through the crisis.