24.05.17
Manchester emergency services praised as city unites against attack
Praise has been heaped on Manchester’s emergency services and wider community as the city came together around the worst terrorist attack in its history.
On Monday evening a suicide bomber, who has been named as Salman Abedi, a Libyan national who lived in South Manchester, detonated a homemade nail bomb after an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people and injuring 59 – many of whom are still in critical condition across eight hospitals in Greater Manchester.
But rather than focus on the unspeakable act committed by this person, Manchester has united in its opposition to hate – and tributes have been flooding in for the good work of emergency service and hospital staff, as well as the support they received from residents.
The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital tweeted a picture of the boxes of donations of food they had been given to support staff working around the clock and families of patients at the hospital.
And one medic working at Manchester Royal Infirmary tweeted that he was in awe of the “absolute heroes” he had worked with overnight on Monday, stating: “After what can only be described as the very worst nightshift I’ve ever worked, I’m honoured to say that I work alongside some absolute heroes.
“We’ve faced adversity, the very lows of society and come together, and made a difference. To all my colleagues in Green, Blue and Red … you are all amazing.”
Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham also paid tribute to staff on Twitter, saying: “My heart goes out to families who have lost loved ones, my admiration to our brave emergency services. A terrible night for our great city.”
A video on Facebook from page ‘Viral Thread’ showed how other services, including taxi drivers, lent a helping hand by offering free rides to people struggling to get home from the concert or to a hospital to find their loved ones.
And after appealing to people to urgently give blood to care for the many patients admitted to hospital after the attack, GiveBlood NHS had to tweet that it had always received enough donations after a huge number of people came in to donate.
Niall Dickson, chief executive of NHS Confederation, also voiced his support for the brave NHS community in the city, saying: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this shocking tragedy.
“Together with the other emergency services, frontline NHS responders, managers, and other staff have once again responded superbly to a major incident and are providing the treatment, care and support that is needed.
“It is at times like these that as a society we really appreciate how important the health service is in all our lives.”
Top Image: Danny Lawson PA Wire
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