Five year’s on from the onset of the Covid Pandemic, we were delighted to work with Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust to host a visit today with HRH The Prince of Wales, in his role as Royal Patron of NHS Charities Together.
Launched in 2020, our Covid-19 Urgent Appeal raised £162 million to support NHS staff, patients and communities at the most challenging time the NHS had ever faced, working with the network of 235 NHS charities based in every Trust and Health board around the UK.
With ongoing challenges facing healthcare, NHS charities are needed more than ever, and the charity continues to provide much needed extra support to NHS staff, patients and communities across the UK.
Peter Phippen, Chair at NHS Charities Together, said:
“Five years on from NHS Charities Together’s Covid-19 Urgent Appeal it’s fantastic to see the impact donations have had for NHS staff, patients and communities. We’d like to thank HRH The Prince of Wales for visiting the Oasis Centre today and for the incredible work both he and the Princess of Wales do to support NHS charities, the NHS and its workforce in their role as our Royal Patrons.
“The impact of the pandemic was profound for patients, families and communities across the UK. NHS staff were at the forefront of the pandemic, caring for sick patients in challenging circumstances, and inevitably this took a toll on their mental health and wellbeing. We are proud to have contributed to the Oasis Centre which is a great example of what NHS charities – like the Royal Berkshire Charity – can do to improve healthcare for staff, patient and communities.
“No one will forget that incredible moment the nation got behind the NHS. Thanks to generous support from the public our urgent appeal raised over £160 million and reached every part of the UK, and we know that 90% of projects, like this one, continue to have long lasting impact.
“With the scale of the ongoing challenges facing healthcare, NHS charities are needed more than ever – together we contribute £1.2 million every day to the NHS and we continue to provide extra support to the workforce, patients and communities – ultimately to help create better healthcare for everyone.”
Thanks to generous donations from thousands of people, our Covid-19 Urgent Appeal has made a critical difference at a time of immense challenge for the NHS. This includes:
- providing over a million NHS staff – two thirds of the workforce – with counselling, rest areas and other support
- helping more than 600,000 patients access better care.
- training and equipment for thousands of life-saving community first responder volunteers
- projects in the community to help people stay well and reduce pressure on the NHS.
Read more in our progress report here.
Through the Covid-19 Appeal, we were proud to help fund the Oasis Staff Wellbeing Centre at Royal Berkshire Hospital, which is one of a few centres in the country dedicated to NHS staff wellbeing. It provides healthcare and wellbeing support to its workforce and since opening has had a measurable impact on the wellbeing of the staff. Support provided through the centre includes counselling, preventative health checks and referrals, a gym, wellbeing garden and wellbeing sessions including yoga.
With the scale of the ongoing challenges facing healthcare, support like this is needed more than ever, and so our work to make healthcare better for everyone continues.
