THE sister responsible for leading the first team in Wrexham Maelor Hospital's battle against Covid-19 has spoken of her gratitude for public and peer support.

Awi Hughes, senior sister on the hospital's arrival surgical ward, has been nursing for 40 years.

In March she was asked to take charge of the Bonney Covid Ward and lead its first team.

The 57-year-old, originally from Welshpool, said: "When my manager approached me and asked me, I wondered if I actually could do it.

"I am fit and I am never ill, but I thought about whether I would be putting my family at risk.

"I knew it would be hard and stressful, but I thought - yes I can do this.

"So I gathered my nurses and asked them if they wanted to come with me, not thinking all of them would.

"Every single one of them did come.

"It was extremely nerve-racking and frightening.

"We were the first team going in there and we were supported by Matron Wendy Wilson - we couldn't have done it without her."

Awi said the team had to learn quickly how to support patients, but also to rethink how to deliver care with so many new infection control regulations.

"It was scary," she said.

"Everything was so different.

"The first few weeks were hard going - it was non-stop.

"Patients were coming in and they were poorly.

"We did see a lot of deaths. Some of the nurses hadn't seen that before. "There were some tears, especially from some of the younger and newer qualified team members.

"We saw a lot of youngsters struggling to breathe and that was scary for them and us.

"One of the worst things for everyone was coming off the ward.

"We all had to make sure we were showered and in clean clothing before leaving.

"My boys have homes of their own but a lot of the nurses have children at home."

Awi said the the pressure of working on the ward in such an unprecedented situation took its toll.

"We didn't know what to expect," she said.

"We had never seen this before and it was horrific.

"We were counselled - a professor came from the Heddfan Unit to talk about our feelings and experiences.

"Most of the nurses offloaded either in groups or one-on-one because you had to talk about it.

"I still sometimes sit at night thinking about the patients because they touched my heart."

The situation was also very difficult for the families of those who were being cared for on the ward.

Awi explained: "We weren't allowed to let any family in then, so none of the patients saw their relatives.

"We got iPads so people could see each other on Facetime, but some were too poorly to speak.

"There were tears when we lost people - we became attached to them.

"We were there for them when they had no one else.

"We were their family.

"One upsetting thing was when some relatives would get angry with us because they couldn't be there with their loved ones.

"The majority understood, but we had the odd one wanted to come in - all we could do was reassure them."

One of the things which kept the team going was the public's support, Awi said.

She continued: "The public couldn't do enough for us - it was them that fed us.

"They sent in food to keep morale up which was great because you could run into the restroom, have a quick bite to eat and keep going.

"The people of Wrexham really did well for us on the Bonney Covid Ward - they were right behind us.

"When I'd get home after a long shift - and we did long hours - I'd find a bag from my neighbours full of biscuits and crisps on my door to take back onto the ward for the staff.

"When there was the applause on a Thursday, it really hit us.

"We used to cry, it was so wonderful."

When the pandemic his its peak in the first wave, Awi said a second ward was needed.

"It got much worse before it got better," she said.

"We were full and a second team of nurses had to open a second ward.

"It was upsetting because we knew what those nurses would have to go through. "But we were able to go over and give them advice and tell them what to expect - what worked for us and what didn't - because they were going in blind, as we had."

Reflecting on the 15 weeks she was in charge of the Bonney Covid Ward, Awi said: "At the end, we were exhausted and ready to go back to our regular wards.

"I started nursing in 1981 and I have never seen anything like this.

"I will never forget it.

"I will likely retire at the end of next year and have achieved everything I wanted to in nursing and more.

"I would like to thank the public for supporting us during that time - they got us through it.

"And I have a fantastic team that I would like to thank as well.

"They did overtime to make sure sifts were covered.

"They did an excellent job and they learned a great deal of skills."