Much has been made of the role of NHS workers risking their lives in the battle against coronavirus during the pandemic.

But how much do we actually know about the day-to-day struggles faced by hospital staff battling exhaustion, low morale and increasing patient numbers as the mutated strain of Covid-19 threatens to overwhelm the NHS this winter?

The PA news agency has been allowed a glimpse behind the curtain at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, London, and captured the ongoing war against the virus in pictures.

The number of intensive care beds for the critically sick has had to be increased from 60 to 120 in the Intensive Care Unit at St George’s. The vast majority of them are for coronavirus patients.

Morale among staff is reported to be low, with some workers feeling “demotivated and demoralised” as the virus tightens its grip.

Many patients have coronavirus but plenty are still coming in with other issues. The workload is intense and there is little opportunity for respite.

At this critical moment in the fight against Covid-19, our NHS staff are being pushed to the limit.