It's nearly 11 months since the first COVID patient was identified here in Wales. Since then, in a year like no other, our NHS and social care workforce have strived to do all they can to keep us safe. They have faced unimaginable challenges and pressures, and for many, those stresses have been taking their toll on them personally and on their families. I wanted to use my time today to bring their experiences of this pandemic into the Senedd Chamber. We have a duty to understand the reality of the situation that our laws create, and the impact that it's having on the health and well-being of those who are doing all they can to look after us. Many of our NHS front-line staff have, after finishing their shifts, used their position to let many of us know what their experiences are, challenging misinformation and perceptions. Hearing from those on the front line is essential.

Two of those who've done so much are intensive therapy unit consultant Dr Ami Jones and theatre operator Glenn Dene. They have recently published a photo book, Behind the Mask: The NHS Family and the Fight with COVID-19. All proceeds are going to NHS charities. Many of you will have seen the images taken by Glenn in the news recently. The book details the heartbreaking reality inside Nevill Hall and the Grange University Hospital, capturing the light and the dark, both the harrowing struggle and the glimmers of hope, showing us the real truth and tragedy of this crisis. Some photographs show moments of positivity, such as staff tenderly supporting each other through difficult moments and babies being born. But more harrowing images include COVID patients on ventilators and a body on a mortuary trolley. I had hoped to be able to show the photos while I spoke this evening, but we're unfortunately unable to do this. I will, however, show some of them via my social media. In her own words, Dr Ami Jones states:

'This is probably one of the worst—and also best—times in the history of the NHS. The way that teams have come together to adapt and overcome is very positive—but it's clearly a dark time in the NHS. So sadness and happiness when you look back at the photos, really.'

Back in the spring last year, the arrival of COVID-19 saw many processes done in the NHS that would normally have taken years to implement undertaken in weeks. This is the same for staff. They have adjusted, trained and taken on new responsibilities. They have risen without question to the challenges COVID has brought. New starters have had 10 years' experience in six months. Dr Ami Jones describes the start of the pandemic response like this:

'The hospital moved swiftly. Wards were reorganised and spaces identified that could be turned into new ITUs. The hospital was divided into an area where COVID patients could be treated and areas where other patients would continue to receive medical care. Despite elective operations and routine clinical appointments being cancelled and COVID seeming to be all-encompassing, people were still going to need emergency surgery, and women still had babies to deliver. What was odd about most of these patients was that they were so young and fit compared to our usual ITU population, but we soon learned that no-one is really safe from COVID.

'Patients were quite rightly scared at the thought of going onto a ventilator, and we've always tried to make time for the patient to ring or video call home and speak to loved ones before we took them to ITU. Sadly, we know that approximately 50 per cent of patients entering ITU due to COVID won't leave again, so a precious few moments for the patient to speak to or even maybe see their families was vital, if possible. Without relatives being allowed into the hospital, having to do this over the phone is heartbreaking, and probably the cruellest twist of all. But the patient will not die alone. The nurses will always be there, holding their hands and talking to them until the end.