A doctor has thanked the NHS staff who cared for him while he was in hospital with coronavirus.

Dr Neil Pillai, a partner at Ivy Court Surgery in Tenterden, was taken into the William Harvey Hospital on Tuesday, April 7 after contracting Covid-19.

He spent 13 nights in the Ashford hospital, and says he received "the very best care that the NHS has to offer", which got him through "a very challenging time".

In a public letter to his patients shared by the surgery's Facebook page, he said: "I have nothing but admiration for all the NHS staff who cared for me.

"The professional skills of the doctors and nurses were key in getting me through such an aggressive illness, but it was also the kindness, care and warmth that was shown to me that really made the difference.

"These heroes, from the ladies who brought me my breakfast, to the cleaners, to the care assistants- they all carried out their roles with an unswerving positivity despite the very real risks they were putting themselves under by simply entering my room."

Dr Pillai, who was allowed home last Monday, says that he hopes the PPE situation at the hospital will improve in time.

He said: "There were day to day variations in the level of PPE these staff had, from gowns and visors some days to plastic aprons on others.

"That can't be right and although this is a worldwide issue I can only hope things will change soon; our NHS staff deserve better."

Ashford MP Damian Green told KentOnline that the situation at the William Harvey is improving.

He said: "The supply situation is looking better than it was. It changes day to day.

"One of the problems has been some of the other departments not directly dealing with Covid-19 patients were finding a shortage but they've solved that problem, so at the moment things seem to be reasonably okay."

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