Stepping on to the ICU during this period was like entering another world. In a way intensive care has always seemed like a place removed from life outside said Mike Brunner, an intensive care doctor at Northwick Park hospital in north London. The ward itself is hidden away behind closed doors, and inside, the only sound is the gentle, regular beeping of machines. “Because of all the machinery and complicated language we use, it has a unique atmosphere,” said Brunner. “It can be quite intimidating.”

By mid-March, intensive care was at the centre of the unfolding drama. ICUs were expanded to deal with the most serious COVID-19 cases, while surrounding wards were quickly repurposed to support them.

As the crisis deepened and the prime minister himself was, for a brief period, cared for by an ICU team, critical care soon occupied a new place in the UK’s consciousness.

Numbers of critical cases have since declined across most of the country, but Brunner said he and his team are still working harder than ever before.

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