Hospital consultant calls for debate on post-pandemic changes on health and the environment

As a consultant in critical care in Darlington, Dr Hixson is one of those we applaud on Thursday nights – a committed professional in the National Health Service – who is spending his days, alongside colleagues, striving to save lives during the biggest public health crisis we have faced in a generation.

But, much as that public display of mass support is appreciated, the bigger picture for Dr Hixson is how the NHS itself will be cared for in years to come, when coronavirus no longer stirs the emotions to levels not seen in its 72-year history.

And, as a committed environmentalist, he is also desperate for lessons to be learned about how to protect the planet, given that the lockdown is providing our world with welcome relief from disastrous levels of carbon emissions.

“What this crisis has shown us is that we have the capacity to act,” he says. “When we had to, we changed our behaviour very quickly and effectively. If we ignore the lessons from that, we will have missed the biggest opportunity, not just about what we do in a place like Darlington, but across the world.”

One minute, Dr Hixson’s social media posts are giving moving insights into life inside hospitals during the fight against coronavirus. In response to a relative, thanking a frontline NHS worker for simply holding their loved one’s hand as they passed away, Richard Tweeted: “I’ve always felt hand holding was the most important part of my job as a critical care doctor. Not just on ICU but on the wards when explaining decisions. No technology can ever replace this gesture.”

In the next Tweet, his attention is turning to his other passion – the environment – as he posts a video he’d once filmed while swimming with sharks, while discussing the inner conflict he feels that the flight he’d taken to get to his holiday destination had contributed to the death of the coral he was swimming over. That particular Tweet ended with the words: “Big changes ahead.”

And Richard can see the pandemic opening up opportunities that can have an impact on both health and the environment.

It should be stressed that he is full of praise for the way the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, and the colleagues he works alongside, have responded to the crisis. “For me, what has been most inspiring is how people have pulled together throughout the organisation,” he says.

An illustration of that teamwork is the way a third intensive care unit was created in just one day at Darlington Memorial Hospital to cope with the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases. An area normally used for patients recovering from surgery was swiftly converted and Richard describes it as a “wonderful example” of the trust’s approach to historic times.

“As soon as we identified the clinical need, it was incredible to see the support at every level – estates, porters, domestics, critical care staff – all making it happen,” he says.

Many played their part, but theatre matron, Linda Watson, and ITU manager, Diane Cruikshank, receive special praise as “unsung heroes”.

Dr Hixson is, naturally, aware of the national controversy over the lack of personal protection equipment but, in his own experience, it hasn’t been a major factor: “I’ve never yet walked into a clinical area and found myself without PPE,” he says. “We’re not swimming in it, but we’re not short of it either.”

That said, his thoughts are already turning to what kind of NHS we will have beyond the coronavirus pandemic: how that Thursday night applause, and the Tweets of appreciation, can be turned into something more sustainable.

“What’s important now is that we don’t lose the momentum behind the public support of the NHS, which is pretty unique in the world,” he says. “Yes, this is a crisis like we’ve never seen before but, in essence, we are doing what we’ve always done in the NHS. The trick is to build on the wave of love and appreciation, and find ways to support staff better, and improve levels of retention.”

So how might the future look in a place like Darlington? How could post-coronavirus change have an impact on both health and the environment? Dr Hixson has a personal vision based around the electrification of the town’s bus fleet.

“You see a lot of buses in Darlington driving around, often with not many passengers, but pumping a lot of diesel into the atmosphere in densely populated areas – surely that can’t be sustainable,” he says.

“Imagine if we could move to a new electrified transport network, dovetailing with the shift patterns of one of the town’s biggest employers – Darlington Memorial Hospital – with concessions for NHS staff.

“And imagine if we could involve another major employer, such as Amazon. Instead of just coming here and building a huge fulfilment centre, could they be encouraged to be a partner in something that could make a huge difference to our health and our environment?”

He sees it not as pie in the sky but an idea worthy of a “grown-up discussion” alongside the increased use of cycles to get to work, more people continuing to work from home, and meetings held on video conferencing wherever possible.

While the pandemic continues, the present is plenty challenging enough – but Dr Richard Hixson believes it can also lead to a healthier, more sustainable future.

MY Mum was was 13 on VE Day and living in London.

Crowds were dancing in the street outside her house when there was a knock on the door and a man from The Army explained that her brother – the Uncle Steve I never met – had been badly wounded.

“We couldn’t celebrate – we were too sad,” she said, fighting back the tears, 75 years on.

Steve, pictured below, had been serving with his brother, Ernie, in Italy when the name “Bishop” was called out for a mine-hunting mission. Both stepped forward and neither wanted the other brother to go. They agreed on a coin toss and Steve ‘won’.

When a sergeant stepped on a mine and was killed, Steve took the blast. He was 22 and lost his eyes, as well as his fingers, trying to protect his face. He died two years later.

“It was such a terrible thing to see – VE Day always makes me sad,” said my Mum.

This is just one story that has been passed on through the years. One family devastated by war, amongst countless others.

Today we have a new generation of heroes, and a terrible toll of lost loved ones.

The world faces very different challenges, but we mustn’t forget that behind every statistic, there’s a family left facing a lifetime of grief.