A Cardigan nurse who lost a family member to Covid-19 has spoken about the daily toll the virus is having on health workers.

Nurses have always been there for us, looking after us from cradle to grave. During 2020, they have become true heroes with people coming out of their houses every week to applaud and celebrate these brave and committed men and women.

Nyrsys (Nurses) a new series starting on S4C on Wednesday, 25 November takes us straight to the front line by following the work of community nurses at the Hywel Dda Health Trust in West Wales during the pandemic.

Community nurses care for the most vulnerable patients in their homes. During an unprecedented year, the pressure on the community nurses of West Wales has been more intense than ever before.

The first programme features Elen Lewis, a nurse in the Cardigan area, who has had personal experience of the effects of Covid-19. She lost her aunt Undeg in April and this loss was a shock to the entire family.

Elen said: “At the beginning of April, we knew that she was ill and she wasn’t getting any better. The doctor sent her to Glangwili Hospital, and she got sent almost straight away to the intensive care unit.

“But, sadly, she never came home.

“After she went into hospital, because of lockdown, no-one could go in to see her. Her husband, Tudur, had to go home and had a phone call to say that she had passed away.

“And I just think about how he felt not being able to be there, not being able to hold her hand, it was just so cruel to lose somebody in that way.”

“The truth is nobody is safe from this virus. It’s still here. Keeping our patients safe and keeping ourselves safe – it is all we can do.”

During the first programme, viewers will see how much the patients depend on the community nurses, not only to provide care but also for company.­

Because patients have been more housebound than usual during lockdown, there is a warm welcome for Elen in many homes including Molly James’, who is in her 90s and is suffering with a painful sore on her leg.

Elen also goes to treat Bernadette Dolan, who is recovering after having five operations on her leg after a fall last December. She had metal plates placed in her leg, but her body rejected them and she had to have another operation to have them all removed in June, during lockdown.

Elen said: “Because I was brought up not far from Cardigan, I start work and I start chatting with the patients – they ask me where I come from.

“Some of the patients remember me from when I was a small child. So that’s nice, I think, getting to know people – I think it makes them feel more at home with me.”

• Nyrsys airs on S4C on Wednesday, 25 November at 8.25pm.