WEST Midlands Police chief Phil Dolby has paid an emotional thanks to the NHS staff who saved his life from coronavirus.

Mr Dolby returned home to his family on Tuesday, after 26 days in hospital where he was being treated for the virus.

Chief Supt Dolby, who formerly served as Dudley's top police officer, paid thanks to his NHS caregivers as he was discharged from the Worcester Royal Hospital yesterday.

After ringing a bell to signal his discharge, he tearfully told staff: "I just want to say that you have all not just cared for me, you feel the passion behind what you are doing, it's brilliant.

"You have saved my life and I'm going back to my family."

 

Mr Dolby was admitted to Worcester Royal Hospital in the early hours of March 29 and days later was placed on a ventilator in intensive care as he was unable to breath for himself.

He spent around a fortnight in intensive care, most of the time heavily sedated, while doctors nurses fought to keep him alive.

Phil is now thankfully on the road to recovery at home, with his wife Mary Dolby and their three children.

Speaking of her family's ordeal, Mary said waiting for updates on her husband's condition when she couldn't be near him was particularly hard.

She said: "I wasn’t able to speak to or see Phil after he was taken by paramedics. That’s the worst thing. Normally if a loved one is ill you can be with them, hold their hand and comfort them – but coronavirus deprives you of that.

“That’s the hardest thing for family and friends of people suffering this dreadful virus, you can’t be there for them and you have no choice but to put all your faith in the NHS staff and pray. That’s what we did.

“It was hard to sleep at night and the days drag on so long. There is nothing to occupy your mind, no friends to speak to face-to-face or hug.

“The hospital staff are so busy they can’t give regular updates on patients’ conditions – all their attention, rightly so, is going into treating people and trying to help them recover. When we did speak to staff they were always very calm, kind, compassionate and a reassuring voice.

“They did manage to set up a camera when he was in ICU so we could see Phil and his surroundings. It helped being able to visualise where he was. It was a video chat facility but it was a one-way conversation as by that stage he was sedated. But it helped just being able to speak to him and see him; it gave us some peace of mind.”

Now, Mary is urging the public to continue to follow social distancing measures to curb the spread of the virus.

She said: "Phil would certainly not fall into what’s deemed the ‘vulnerable’ category: he’s only 45 and a fit man. Our experience shows people of all ages can be susceptible to coronavirus so please adhere to the warnings.

“We can’t express enough our gratitude for the doctors and nurses at Worcester Royal. Without their care and medical expertise we wouldn’t be welcoming Phil back home. I can’t put into words how thankful we are.”

Chief Supt Dolby was police chief for the Dudley borough for two years until 2016 and now works as Head of Criminal Justice Services at West Midlands Police. He has served the force for more than two decades.