Hotspur Hero - Simon Hamilton

Fri 03 July 2020, 09:35|Tottenham Hotspur

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Our next Hotspur Hero, Simon Hamilton, was looking after some of the most unwell people in the country long before the coronavirus pandemic struck, but never has he experienced anything like the last four months.

As a specialist critical care physiotherapist, Simon has been helping severely ill COVID-19 patients, while also supporting colleagues who have been thrust into the unfamiliar environment of intensive care.

He told us: “When it first hit, it was like an avalanche - there was nothing you could do to fight it. We went from having one or two people who are that sick to about 30 all at once.

“On top of that, we had doctors and nurses who had never set foot in intensive care. That’s my area of expertise, so a lot of my role at the start was to offer guidance with things like turning patients on to their front to help the lungs. They’re the real heroes for just getting on with the job.”

Alongside the sheer volume of patients, Simon and his team were grappling with the many unknowns surrounding a new virus.

He explained: “With other conditions like heart attacks, you’ve seen it before and you know that they can get better. With these people, we didn’t know if they were going to recover or not and that was awful to start.”

In recent weeks, Simon has seen more patients waking up from comas, beginning the long road to recovery and, crucially, going home to their families. For him, being part of the team that makes someone physically able to go home is what makes it all worthwhile.

“For those who have fortunately survived, it can take multiple people to get them out of bed and moving again - it’s labour-intensive and exhausting,” he said.

“We’ve had people in their thirties who were sicker than anyone I’ve ever seen. Those people are now coming out the other side and getting back to their lives. That’s what keeps you going.”

Simon also talked about the camaraderie in the NHS and how much the public’s support has meant to him during this time.

He added: “The first week Clap for Carers happened was one of the most touching things I’ve ever heard. We didn’t have any windows open at work, but we could hear the cheers. That made us feel as though people were really appreciating what we’re doing. It really buoyed me.”

A fourth generation Spurs fan, Simon now regularly attends matches with his mum, who nominated him as a Hotspur Hero.

He smiled: “Being nominated is probably the nicest thing someone has done for me in the last three or four months. I look up to Spurs as a Club and to be recognised like this is really humbling and super strange!”