The NHS hero who saved Boris Johnson’s life and stood by his bedside when things could have gone ‘either way’ has been pictured.
The Prime Minister spent the last week in St Thomas’s Hospital – including three nights in intensive care – being treated for the virus.
Shortly after he was discharged, Mr Johnson released a video thanking the medical professionals who aided his recovery.
Specifically he thanked a group of nurses in the video released this afternoon, he said: ‘I am going to forget some names, so forgive me, but I want to thank Po Ling and Shannon and Emily and Angel and Connie and Becky and Rachael and Nicky and Ann.
Mr Johnson’s video message from inside no 10 this afternoon, after he was discharged from hospital
The Prime Minister then named two particular health professionals who ‘stood by my bedside for 48 hours when things could have gone either way.’
He added: ‘They are Jenny from New Zealand – Invercargill on the South Island to be exact – and Luis from Portugal – near Porto.
‘The reason in the end my body did start to get enough oxygen was because for every second of the night they were watching and they were thinking and they were caring and making the interventions I needed.’
The Portguese senior staff nurse who cared for Mr Johnson, is understood to be Luis Pitarma.
The 29-year-old, born Aveiro, just 50 kilometres from Porto, is thought to have moved to London in 2014 after completing his medical qualifications in Lisbon.
This afternoon he was thanked by the President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in a telephone call.
The lung specialists at St Thomas’ Hospital are some of the best in the UK and the hospital now has a dedicated team set up to handle COVID-19 patients.
It was previously revealed that one of the doctors overseeing Mr Johnson’s care was leading lung specialist Dr Richard Leach, a senior clinician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital.
Dr Leach has worked at the central London hospital trust since 1994, and at King Edward VII Hospital since 2016.
His encyclopedic knowledge of the respiratory system has even been laid down in five leading textbooks.
Dr Richard Leach, senior clinician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, is responsible for the Prime Minister’s coronavirus recovery and had been at his bedside
While Dr Leach had reportedly assumed ultimate responsibility over Mr Johnson’s treatment, hospital sources warned against exaggerating how hands-on a role he was playing.
Another medical professional thought to be overseeing the Prime Minister while he spent time at the hospital was Dr Luigi Camporota, a consultant in intensive care medicine.
Just last week, Dr Camporota, held a seminar explaining to other hospitals the best way to attach a coronavirus patient to a ventilator
In a tweet following her fiance’s release from hospital, Carrie Symonds said there had been some ‘very dark’ times in the past week.
The PM, who was wearing a suit, will not be returning to work immediately on doctors’ orders, instead recuperating at Chequers, his country residence in Buckinghamshire.
In the video footage he also said the NHS would be ‘unconquerable’ in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Another medical professional thought to be overseeing the Prime Minister while he spent time at the hospital was Dr Luigi Camporota, a consultant in intensive care medicine
He said: ‘I have today left hospital after a week in which the NHS has saved my life, no question.
‘It’s hard to find the words to express my debt – but before I come to that, I want to thank everyone in the entire UK for the effort and the sacrifice you have made and are making.’
He thanked people for continuing to socially distance and to self-isolate, saying: ‘I do believe that your efforts are worth it, and are daily proving their worth.’
While he said the ‘the struggle is by no means over’, he appeared to offer some hope by adding that progress is being made.
He said: ‘We are making progress in this national battle because the British public formed a human shield around this country’s greatest national asset – our National Health Service.’
Mr Johnson said he had personally ‘seen the pressure the NHS is under’ and listed the essential staff including cleaners, cooks and all healthcare workers who he said had shown ‘personal courage’ by continuing to work and ‘risking this deadly virus’.
He said: ‘It is thanks to that courage, that devotion, that duty and that love that our NHS has been unbeatable.’
His pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds tweeted her praise for staff at St Thomas’s Hospital, adding: ‘There were times last week that were very dark indeed
Shortly after news of his release, Ms Symonds had tweeted to pay tribute to the ‘magnificent NHS’.
She said: ‘I will never, ever be able to repay you and I will never stop thanking you.
‘There were times last week that were very dark indeed. My heart goes out to all those in similar situations, worried sick about their loved ones.
‘Thank you also to everyone who sent such kind messages of support. Today I’m feeling incredibly lucky.’
Stanley Johnson said he was delighted by the latest update, telling the PA news agency he hopes his son ‘does not overdo it’ while recovering at Chequers.
Mr Johnson, who is at his farm in Exmoor, said: ‘I am absolutely delighted to hear the news that Boris has left hospital – it is wonderful news.
‘Of course it is not only me who is delighted but the whole family.
‘I am especially pleased that he will now be able to be with his fiancee Carrie, and if they head to Chequers I very much hope he doesn’t overdo it.’
He also praised the NHS for the care they gave his son.
He added: ‘I realise now – I think the whole country realises – how close he came to a crisis situation and it is wonderful he has come out of that crisis.
‘It is wonderful that the national health service was able to help him and I think he has also paid tribute to them.
‘Our thoughts are with everybody, not only those who are fighting the battle against coronavirus, but those who are suffering from it.’
Dr Ian Abbs, chief executive at Guy’s and St Thomas’, paid tribute to hospital staff.
He said: ‘It is a great credit to the exceptional professionalism of clinical teams, as well as everyone in the wider organisation, that we have been able to care for the Prime Minister so effectively, whilst continuing to deliver equally high standards of care to all of our patients.’
He said thoughts must ‘turn immediately to those who still need our help at this time’ and reiterated the plea for people to ‘stay home to help us save lives and protect the NHS’.
Boris Johnson’s address to the nation in full: Prime Minister thanks NHS staff and public for staying indoors after being discharged from hospital
Boris Jonson speaks from Downing Street
On his release from St Thomas’ Hospital this afternoon, the Prime Minister addressed the nation in a video posted on Twitter. Below is the full transcript of what he said:
Good afternoon,
I have today left hospital after a week in which the NHS has saved my life, no question.
It’s hard to find the words to express my debt – but before I come to that I want to thank everyone in the entire UK for the effort and the sacrifice you have made and are making.
When the sun is out and the kids are at home; when the whole natural world seems at its loveliest and the outdoors is so inviting, I can only imagine how tough it has been to follow the rules on social distancing
I thank you because so many millions and millions of people across this country have been doing the right thing – millions going through the hardship of self-isolation – faithfully, patiently, with thought and care for others as well as for themselves.
I want you to know that this Easter Sunday I do believe that your efforts are worth it, and are daily proving their worth.
Because although we mourn every day those who are taken from us in such numbers, and though the struggle is by no means over, we are now making progress in this incredible national battle against coronavirus.
A fight we never picked against an enemy we still don’t entirely understand.
We are making progress in this national battle because the British public formed a human shield around this country’s greatest national asset – our National Health Service.
We understood and we decided that if together we could keep our NHS safe, if we could stop our NHS from being overwhelmed, then we could not be beaten, and this country would rise together and overcome this challenge, as we have overcome so many challenges in the past.
In the last seven days I have of course seen the pressure that the NHS is under.
I have seen the personal courage not just of the doctors and nurses but of everyone, the cleaners, the cooks, the health care workers of every description – physios, radiographers, pharmacists – who have kept coming to work, kept putting themselves in harm’s way, kept risking this deadly virus.
It is thanks to that courage, that devotion, that duty and that love that our NHS has been unbeatable.
I want to pay my own thanks to the utterly brilliant doctors, leaders in their fields, men and women but several of them for some reason called Nick, who took some crucial decisions a few days ago for which I will be grateful for the rest of my life.
I want to thank the many nurses, men and women, whose care has been so astonishing.
I am going to forget some names, so forgive me, but I want to thank Po Ling and Shannon and Emily and Angel and Connie and Becky and Rachael and Nicky and Ann.
And I hope they won’t mind if I mention in particular two nurses who stood by my bedside for 48 hours when things could have gone either way.
They are Jenny from New Zealand – Invercargill on the South Island to be exact – and Luis from Portugal – near Porto.
And the reason in the end my body did start to get enough oxygen was because for every second of the night they were watching and they were thinking and they were caring and making the interventions I needed.
So that is how I also know that across this country, 24 hours a day, for every second of every hour, there are hundreds of thousands of NHS staff who are acting with the same care and thought and precision as Jenny and Luis.
That is why we will defeat this coronavirus and defeat it together.
We will win because our NHS is the beating heart of this country. It is the best of this country. It is unconquerable. It is powered by love.
So thank you from me, and from all of us, to the NHS, and let’s remember to follow the rules on social distancing. Stay at home, protect our NHS – and save lives.
Thank you, and Happy Easter.