London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Mar 01, 2026

Hospital workers: From cabin crew to the coronavirus front line

Hospital workers: From cabin crew to the coronavirus front line

Like lots of people, Nikki Hazelhurst lost her job last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Before this I was cabin crew, it was my absolute dream job," she tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

"I'm obsessed with planes, but I'm not quite intelligent enough to fly one so I like to serve on them instead."

When she found herself out of a job, Nikki applied for work at Harrogate's Nightingale hospital, and then moved to the main hospital's PPE department.

"I went from drinks, snacks and really happy people to somewhere there's a lot of doom and gloom. It's scary."

Newsbeat spent two days in Harrogate Hospitals for a series of specials you can hear on Radio 1, 1Xtra, Asian Network or BBC Sounds.

'I want to be back in the air'


But Nikki's skills from her work as cabin crew have come in handy working for the NHS.

"My customer service skills have really helped, I'm a jolly person and I'm a really hard worker - plus lugging cages around the hospital is tough work, but I'm used to trollies on a plane" she says cheerily.

Nikki Hazelhurst
So where does Nikki hope to be in 12 months time?

"Wow - that has made me a bit emotional," she says.

"I don't want to be needed here, it's not a good thing, but I will do it."

Nikki's partner has recently got his commercial pilot's licence, and she hopes they can both take to the skies again in the future.

"In 12 months I want me and him to be back in the air - my favourite place in the world is 37,000 feet."

Tom Bowe
Like Nikki, Tom Bowe also worked at the Harrogate Nightingale before joining the district hospital.

He finished a Masters Degree in Chemistry last May, but couldn't get a job in the field he wants to work in.

"I haven't been able to graduate yet because of the pandemic," he says.

"Because of coronavirus there's no jobs around for someone without experience."

'It's opened my eyes'


But Tom says he's wanted to make himself useful, and is now working as a porter and facilities assistant, which he says involves a bit of "everything".

"I've probably changed 40 or 50 bins so far today," he tells us - as he changes another one.

He says the work has been tough, but also been valuable life experience.

"It's definitely given me a different perspective to what's really going on, and opened my eyes to other jobs as well".

Faith Waddell
Physiotherapist Faith Waddell also found herself on the front line, unexpectedly, when she graduated last summer.

"I was redeployed to work in Intensive Care, which was scary and daunting at first," she says.

'I'd never even been in ICU before working there, so it was a fast learning curve and we had to step up'

"It was the case for a lot of us though, and we get each other through it."

'We live off the good moments'


Faith says even though it's been a tough - and unexpected start to her career - there's also a more positive side to her job too.

"Our focus is getting people up and moving, and eventually home."

And sometimes there's the opportunity to reunite families, or couples who've both been admitted with Covid, but are on separate wards.

"Just the other day we managed to get a woman to her husband and he really picked up after her visit and was even walking today.

"That change is lovely to see - we live off those moments to get us through the day."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
When the State Replaces the Parent: How Gender Policy Is Redefining Custody and Coercion
Bill Clinton Denies Knowing Woman in Hot Tub Photo During Closed-Door Epstein Deposition
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton Testifies on Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Before Congressional Oversight Committee
Dyson Reaches Settlement in Landmark UK Forced Labour Case
Barclays and Jefferies Shares Fall After UK Mortgage Lender Collapse Rekindles Credit Market Concerns
Play Exploring Donald Trump’s Rise to Power by ‘Lehman Trilogy’ Author to Premiere in the UK
Man Arrested After Churchill Statue Defaced in Central London
Keir Starmer Faces Political Setback as Labour Finishes Third in High-Profile By-Election
UK Assisted Dying Bill Set to Fall Short in Parliament as Regional Initiatives Gain Ground
UK Defence Ministry Clarifies Position After Reports of Imminent Helicopter Contract
Independent Left-Wing Plumber Secures Shock Victory as Greens Surge in UK By-Election
Reform UK Refers Alleged ‘Family Voting’ Incidents in By-Election to Police
United Kingdom Temporarily Withdraws Embassy Staff from Iran Amid Heightened Regional Tensions
UK Government Reaches Framework Agreement on Release of Mandelson Vetting Files
UK Police Contracts With Israeli Surveillance Firms Spark Debate Over Ethics and Oversight
United Airlines Passenger Hears Cockpit Conversations After Accessing In-Flight Audio Channel
Spain to Conduct Border Checks on Gibraltar Arrivals Under New Post-Brexit Framework
Engie Shares Jump After $14 Billion Agreement to Acquire UK Power Grid Assets
BNP Paribas Overtakes Goldman Sachs in UK Investment Banking League Tables
Geothermal Project to Power Ten Thousand Homes Marks UK Renewable Energy Milestone
UK Visa Grants Drop Nineteen Percent in 2025 as Migration Controls Tighten
Barclays and Jefferies Among Banks Exposed to Collapse of UK Mortgage Lender MFS
UK Asylum Applications Edge Down in 2025 Despite Rise in Small Boat Crossings
Jefferies Reports Significant Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender MFS
FTSE 100 Reaches Fresh Record Highs as Major Share Buybacks and Earnings Lift London Stocks
So, what's happened is, I think, government policy, not just under Labour, but under the Conservatives as well, has driven a lot of small landlords out of business.
Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary, is resigning from Harvard University as fallout continues over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, with the Dow gaining about six-tenths of a percent, the S&P 500 adding eight-tenths of a percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbing roughly one-and-a-quarter percent.
From fears of AI-fuelled unemployment to Big Tech's record investment, this is AI Weekly.
Apple just dropped iOS 26.4.
US Lawmakers Seek Briefing from UK Over Reported Encryption Order Directed at Apple
UK Business Secretary Calls on EU to Remove Trade Barriers Hindering Growth
Legal Pathways for Removing Prince Andrew from Britain’s Line of Succession Examined
PM Netanyahu welcome India PM Narendra Modi to Israel
Shadow Diplomacy: How Harry and Meghan’s Jordan Trip Undermines the Monarchy
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, comments on immigration in the UK.
Bill Gates, the UN and the WEF are attempting to construct "a giant digital gulag for all of humanity" via digital ID, CBDCs and vaccine passport infrastructure.
Britain’s Channel Crisis: Paying Billions While the Boats Keep Coming
Downing Street’s Veteran Deception Scandal
UK HealthCare Expands ‘Food as Health’ Initiative Statewide to Tackle Chronic Illness in Kentucky
Leonardo Chief Says UK Set to Decide on New Medium Helicopter Programme
UK Slows Chagos Islands Agreement After Concerns Raised in Washington
European and UK Stock Markets Reach Fresh Highs as Banks and Miners Lead Rally
UK Government Insists Chagos Islands Negotiations Continue After Minister’s ‘Pause’ Remark
No Confirmed Deal for Engie to Acquire UK Power Networks Amid Market Speculation
UK Reaffirms Updated Entry Requirements for Travellers as of February 25, 2026
General Atlantic to sell equity stake in ByteDance, valuing the company at $550 billion
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Secures Pledge from China for Greater Imports of Quality Goods
Lord Mandelson Condemns Arrest as Driven by ‘Baseless Suggestion’ He Would Flee Abroad
Former UK Ambassador Released on Bail Following Arrest in Epstein-Linked Investigation
×