Cheers and Applause as Charing Cross Nurse Recovers from Covid-19

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Ralph Deocampo had spent 10 days in intensive care in the hospital where he works

Picture: Twitter

A nurse was cheered by colleagues as he left the hospital where he works, after spending 10 days in intensive care with coronavirus.

Father-of-three Ralph Deocampo, who has worked for the NHS since 1999, left Charing Cross Hospital in Fulham on Monday, 20 April.

A video posted on Twitter by the hospital shows him being walked out in a wheelchair by his wife, Brenda Deocampo, as friends applauded them.

The day before his release, Mrs Deocampo, herself a ward manager at Charing Cross, wrote a heartfelt post on Twitter.

She said: “Such a special place CXH is @ImperialNHS, we met here 18 yrs ago, & now after 10 days in ITU – the man standing next to me has recovered well & home tomorrow. With so much gratefulness in our hearts for all your prayers, love & support in this life-changing experience.”

Our very own #ImperialPeople Ralph Deocampo being discharged from Charing Cross Hospital after recovering from coronavirus. We're delighted to wave Ralph off as he heads home.???? pic.twitter.com/s9pU3eteri

— Imperial NHS (@ImperialNHS) April 20, 2020

On 18 April, as her husband’s condition improved, Mrs Deocampo wrote: “Thanking you all for the love and prayers, now out of danger zone. Bringing back the glory to our God almighty.”

She previously spoke of how they met after arriving in the UK from the Philippines to join the NHS 21 years ago.

“It has been both a privilege and an honour to work for the NHS as we share its vision of making a difference to the lives of those we care for,” Mrs Deocampo said.

“Like the many foreign nurses and healthcare workers coming to the UK from different parts of the world, life in the NHS has been an interesting journey.

“Through the years, the NHS has become a new world for us, a ‘home away from home’ where patients have become our good friends and colleagues have become a huge support in many ways.”

Mr Deocampo’s recovery comes after widespread reports of the shocking number of NHS staff who have died after contracting COVID-19 while caring for patients.

This Tuesday (21 April) the Guardian reported that “at least 100” NHS workers had lost their lives, including doctors, nurses and porters.

They include three people who worked at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, the organisation which runs Charing Cross Hospital, as well as Hammersmith and St Mary’s hospitals.

Melujean Ballesteros, 60, a nurse from St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, died on April 12.

Donald Suelto, 51, a nurse at Hammersmith Hospital, died earlier this month while self-isolating at home with COVID-19 symptoms.

Professor Sami Shousha, 79, worked at cancer research laboratories at Hammersmith and Charing Cross hospitals. He died on 2 April.

The three West London hospitals have large communities of Filipino staff.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust said earlier this year that it was looking to hire up to 100 new nurses from the Philippines.

Owen Sheppard – Local Democracy Reporter

April 23, 2020