After being stuck in lockdown for a while now it was great to be shooting again. I was tasked to join a team to film at the former military rehabilitation centre at Headley Court in surrey which reopened recently, not as a recovery centre for the limbless or the battle scarred, but as a recovery centre for the patients of Coronavirus. The Seacole Centre as it is now named has opened to cater for Covid patients and others who need help with their recovery.
Many who have suffered with the disease may have been on ventilators or confined to a bed for weeks and as a result they can have serious muscle wastage, often they can no longer walk or even stand. As well as providing care for obvious physical needs the centre takes care of the mental wellbeing of its residents too.
The first of its kind in England the new hospital will soon have enough beds and staff to treat 129 patients and can be quickly upscaled to up to 300 beds if needed.
Reported by Sima Kotecha @Sima_Kotecha and produced by Elizabeth Bennett @libbycave this piece we shot in one day and edited the next for BBC Breakfast and the One o’clock news and we also created a separate digital piece for the website and the usual social media platforms.
Equipment Used: Canon C300mkii and a Canon 5Dmkiv.