THE chief executive of the trust running York Hospital says he is "truly humbled" by the efforts of staff and has thanked them for their hard work during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a video he made that was posted on Twitter, Simon Morritt, of NHS York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, also says "we are facing perhaps the greatest public health threat in our lifetime."

The video ends with pictures of letters of support they have received from many people, including children.

In the video, Mr Morritt commented: "In the last few weeks I have visited our emergency departments, critical care wards, and the wards that will care for patients with Covid-19 on both of our acute sites and I am truly humbled by the effort and energy of everyone who is working hard to make sure we are ready.

"We know of course that our team goes beyond our frontline clinical staff and I doubt there is anyone who works for this trust who hasn't been contributing to this effort, so thank you all.

"It is an extraordinary time we are living in and we are facing perhaps the greatest public health threat in our lifetime. Please keep safe and continue to look out for each other."