An NHS doctor on the frontline of the battle against coronavirus has thanked donors after smashing his fundraising target.

Dr Joshua Michaels from The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel hoped to raise £1,000 towards getting electronic devices to isolated patients so they can keep in touch with their families. But within five days he had scooped almost 10 times as much, with the total standing at £10,280 as of April 15.

Joshua, 29, thanked donors, saying: “It’s amazing. The support has been overwhelming. This is an achievement for everyone.

“I can appreciate that it can be quite unsettling for a patient to see only masked faces every day. People may take for granted seeing a person’s face while communicating, but it is really beneficial for patients.” The money raised will be donated to Barts Charity’s Covid-19 NHS emergency appeal to also help buy extra equipment including stethoscopes and essential personal protective equipment.

Joshua, from Edgware, was training to be a surgeon at hospital operator Barts Health NHS Trust before answering the call to join colleagues in intensive care fighting against the coronavirus.

He is now doing 12-hour shifts along with colleagues, helping intensive care nurses or taking on their role looking after individual patients. “The work they do is amazing. A lot of congratulations should go to them. Things are hard on the frontline, but we have a lot of support. The atmosphere among staff is one of motivation, determination and good will. It’s not of fear or panic. Together we will get through this. The more support we have and the more people play their part, the better off we’ll be.”

He added that Barts Charity is working relentlessly to make sure money is shared quickly to get the extra kit medics need.

And he paid tribute to The Royal London’s doctors, nurses, porters, radiographers, cleaners and many other staff who have all pulled together to fight the pandemic.

He said Barts has done a very good job responding to Covid-19 and would be able to deal with complications, including longer waiting lists, arising after the pandemic.

To donate, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/joshua-michaels

You can also follow Joshua @joshua_michaels_ for updates on his campaign.