An exhausted surgeon coming off a weekend-long shift and worn-out GPs were among the first to take advantage of Sainsbury’s new shopping slots dedicated for NHS staff.

The supermarket giant announced yesterday that it will help healthcare workers enduring long hours during the coronavirus by opening all of its stores to them between 7.30am and 8am.

And doctors and nurses visited the chain’s branch in Kingsmead Road, Canterbury, for the first of its half-hour slots this morning.

Vascular surgeon Lal Senaratne was able to stock up on a week’s worth of essentials – having just completed "a 65-hour shift" at Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

“I started on Friday evening at 6pm and I’ve just finished now,” the 57-year-old said.

“Today, just before coming to the supermarket, I was at the hospital and there were people working in panic mode.

“Any patient who is unwell with a fever, they panic that it’s Covid.

“Most of the time it is not Covid – we don’t have that many people who are sick with it at the moment – but we expect in the coming weeks a number of people to get sick.”

NHS workers will be the first to shop at Sainsbury’s stores across the country from Monday to Saturday.

Elderly and vulnerable people - who were allowed to shop first in branches last week - have also been allocated a "golden hour" between 8am and 9am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Both groups had originally been given the same one-hour slot on the same days, but supermarket bosses amended the times after concerns were raised about the vulnerable and healthcare workers shopping together.

Mr Senaratne continued: “When you finish work and come at the end of the day, there’s hardly anything left behind – so the fact they’ve opened it up to us is very useful.”

Hannah Walker, the practice manager of Park Surgery in Herne Bay, also purchased a bag of groceries from the city supermarket this morning.

She said the dedicated slots mean that she has been able to stock up on, among other things, raspberries, which are given to children who require covert medication.

“It’s a really testing time because everyone’s really scared and we haven’t got the right protective equipment,” she added.

“We have been working flat out. We’re open from 8am until 8pm, so to be able to stop off on my way in is just fantastic.”

Speaking to KentOnline as he left the supermarket, Canterbury Health Centre GP Joe Molony stressed that he has struggled to squeeze visiting the shops in between his hectic schedule.

“I don’t have the time at the moment,” he explained.

“I’m busy trying to reorganise schedules, phoning patients, putting systems in place, ordering protective equipment for my staff, putting in management to start wiping door handles and manage expectations.

“This is good. It means I’m going to get to work on time today and I’m not spending my time running around looking for half a dozen eggs.”

Tesco and M&S were the first big supermarkets to offer NHS workers dedicated shopping hours.

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