Her Majesty summoned people across the country to volunteer for simple yet vital tasks such as acting as a taxi service for patients and to transfer machines from pharmacies to hospitals.

In the message she praised those whohave already signed up to help the nation, writing “In the last 24 hours, over 405,000 of you have volunteered to become @NHS Volunteer Responders, to help with simple but vital tasks for vulnerable people, including delivering medicines from pharmacies and driving patients to appointments.”

She shared a message by the Royal Voluntary Service that put out a call for more “fit and healthy” recruits to help deliver food and medication, to drive patients to appointments and to make befriending phonecalls to the elderly and vulnerable who may be suffering with the mental health impacts of long-term isolating.

Throughout March the spread of the coronavirus across the UK sped up rapidly as the country heads towards its peak which will see the death toll climb heavily over a short period of time. 

NHS staff have reported being under-equipped with a lack of beds almost reaching capacity with 98% of beds full last week. And medics have lacked basic protective equipment like masks and goggles.

The global pandemic sparked by COVID-19 has also shone a light on how under-staffed the NHS is. While hospitals are complaining of not having enough ventilators or isolation rooms ot deal with patients who develop severe symptoms of the coronavirus.

More to follow….