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Coronavirus: NHS couple move into motorhome to protect family from COVID-19

Jared Leggett and wife Amy Kitchen are living in a motorhome in the car park of the hospital where they work.

Sunday 17 May 2020 13:55, UK

Junior Doctor Amy Kitchen kisses her Junior Doctor husband Jared Leggett goodbye as she makes her way to work from their motorhome in the hospital carpark at The Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital in East Lancashire following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 14, 2020. The married couple, who were living with parents and in the process of buying their first home, made the decision to isolate in the onsite accommodation to protect their families and be
Image: Amy Kitchen and Jared Leggett are both junior doctors
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Two junior doctors who were preparing to buy their first house as a married couple before the coronavirus crisis began have moved into a motorhome to protect their families from becoming infected.

Jared Leggett and wife Amy Kitchen had been living with their parents, but they are now staying in the vehicle in their hospital's car park so that they can continue working without fear of spreading COVID-19.

They work at The Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital in East Lancashire, and have been deployed to wards where coronavirus patients are being treated.

Junior Doctors Jared Leggett and Amy Kitchen watch a film on an iPad, whilst living in a temporary motorhome in the hospital carpark at The Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital in East Lancashire following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 14, 2020. The married couple, who were living with parents and in the process of buying their first home, made the decision to isolate in the onsite accommodation to protect their families and be able to continue working at hospital. See PA story HEALTH Coronavirus. Photo credit should read: Hannah McKay/PA Wire
Image: The married couple are living in a motorhome in their hospital's car park

While community transmission of the disease has declined significantly since the UK lockdown began, the R value, which measures the rate of infection between people, has risen slightly in recent days.

Government scientific advisers say this is because of the scale of infections in care homes and hospitals, meaning health and social care workers remain at a much higher risk of contracting the illness.

Junior Doctor Amy Kitchen prepares to go to work whilst talking to her husband Junior Doctor Jared Leggett in a motorhome she is temporarily living in with her Junior Doctor husband in the hospital carpark at The Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital in East Lancashire following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 14, 2020. The married couple, who were living with parents and in the process of buying their first home, made the decision to isolate in the ons
Image: The couple work at The Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital
Junior Doctor Amy Kitchen prepares to go to work whilst talking to her husband Junior Doctor Jared Leggett in a motorhome she is temporarily living in with her Junior Doctor husband in the hospital carpark at The Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital in East Lancashire following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 14, 2020. The married couple, who were living with parents and in the process of buying their first home, made the decision to isolate in the ons

More than 100 healthcare staff have died in the UK since the pandemic began, including doctors, nurses, carers, porters, cleaners and paramedics.

The coronavirus can be so contagious in settings like care homes and hospitals that most patients have not been allowed to say goodbye to their loved ones before passing away.

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It has also put huge pressure on supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), with one recent survey suggesting that almost half of doctors have had to source their own gear or relied on donations.

Junior Doctor Jared Leggett visits a patient on Ward C22 at The Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital in East Lancashire during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 14, 2020. He and his wife, a junior doctor, are living in a motorhome onsite to protect their families and be able to continue working at hospital. See PA story HEALTH Coronavirus. Photo credit should read: Hannah McKay/PA Wire
Image: Jared prepares to treat a recovering coronavirus patient

There have also been other examples of healthcare workers going to extreme lengths to avoid potentially bringing coronavirus home to their families.

Like Jared and Amy, paramedic Danny Hughes moved out of his home and into a campervan.

The 28-year-old, from Newhaven, said he decided to move out because he deals with coronavirus patients every day and many of his family are in the high-risk group - including someone who is pregnant.

With one member of his household having developed symptoms, Mr Hughes explained he "thought it was more advantageous to isolate myself temporarily".

He moved out in March so that he could continue working for the South East Coast Ambulance in East Sussex.

Undated handout photo issued by SECamb of Danny Hughes, who has moved into a campervan to help keep his family safe from Covid-19. PA Photo. Issue date: Thursday March 26, 2020. The NHS worker says he deals with coronavirus patients every day and called on the public to only call 999 in an emergency. See PA story HEALTH Coronavirus. Photo credit should read: Danny Hughes/SECamb/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneou
Image: Danny Hughes is another NHS worker who moved out of his home to protect his family

Since then, the UK has become one of the worst-hit countries in the world, with more than 241,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 34,500 deaths.

Only the US and Russia have had more cases and only the US has reported more deaths, according to official figures being tracked by Johns Hopkins University.

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