March 24, 2022 1.30 pm This story is over 24 months old

Lincolnshire COVID drugs research nurse reveals nerves in desperate search for treatment

Dot was heavily involved with the research

A Lincolnshire COVID drugs research nurse who worked on UK treatment trials throughout the pandemic has opened up about the highs and lows of her role – and the nerves she faced on the frontline.

Dot Hutchinson, lead nurse at NHS North Lincolnshire and Goole, was heavily involved in all of the COVID-19 research, desperate to help the most seriously ill patients.

She said: “We started the recovery trial, which was running throughout the country, which was testing all different drugs that were already on the market but were not for this specific purpose.

“We were out on the front line from day one, very nervous, but we knew that this was something that needed to be done, desperately quickly to try to help a lot of these patients, especially in the first wave.”

Two treatments trialled didn’t have the effect Dot had hoped for, but a cheaper drug, Dexamethasone, ended up making a big difference to outcomes for patients – and that became standard practice across the country.