Luton and Dunstable Hospital junior doctor's marathon effort to raise money for PPE

A junior doctor at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital is running a marathon on Wednesday, June 3, to raise money for COVID Crisis Rescue UK.

Dr Kieran Togher is supporting the company that is working to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to healthcare centres across the country.

He decided to do something to help provide PPE directly to frontline healthcare staff, his aim was to raise £1,000, and he has already raised over £1,400.

He said: "I, like thousands of NHS staff across the country and here in Luton, have seen and been affected by the shortage of personal protective equipment provided by our government.

"Even senior consultants have been driven to using makeshift PPE for protection, or worse, have had nothing at all.

"I have been working with incredibly generous people from my local community over the last two months to source thousands of items of PPE to the L&D, and later to our sister hospital, Bedford, and several care homes in my local area.

"But my efforts have been mainly local, and I realised that I needed help from someone acting on a larger scale. This brought my attention to COVID Crisis Rescue UK.

"This is a small group, run by two doctors, who are undertaking an inspiring operation to get PPE to where it's needed.

"This is not just to hospitals, but to overlooked healthcare centres, including domestic abuse shelters, care homes, hospices and ambulance services.

"The initiatives they have implemented in the six short weeks they have been in operation include supplying 25,000+ items of PPE, supplying oxygen saturation monitors to homes for out-of-hospital monitoring, and COVID cabs to take patients with COVID symptoms to hospital if an ambulance is not needed but face-to-face assessment by a doctor is.

"I spoke with one of the founders of this charity over the phone yesterday evening, and he has agreed to send hundreds of items of PPE for use at the L&D, including full sleeved gowns and FFP2 masks, free of charge.

"This is why I am running a marathon in aid of their cause."

Kieran will be running to his home in Enfield after he finishes his shift at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital on Wednesday.

He has no previous experience in competitive running but he did begin training last week.

He said: "I am doing this because that is the urgency with which we need PPE. It doesn't only protect us, as healthcare workers, but it protects the public too.

"Preventing transmission from patients to members of staff, and subsequently to further patients, is crucial in making hospitals as safe as possible for all.

"It has not been as bad here as some areas but it has been very difficult and very challenging, and all staff are doing their best.

"We are not out of it yet, that is why I wanted to do something to help."

To make a donation visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helpcovidcrisisrescueuk.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper when you do your weekly shop.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price.

So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.