A recent grant from the NHS Charities Together Covid-19 Appeal has been key to enabling Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity to provide mental wellbeing support in the weeks, months, and years to come.
The charity supports East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust and the grant will fund indoor and outdoor oasis spaces for Trust staff to use as a space to sit, relax, and reflect during busy shifts. In addition, the grant will facilitate the training of 10% of the workforce in Mental Health First Aid, ensuring that staff have access to the support they need, and encouraging the discussion of good mental health across the Trust.
Jo Wood, Chair of the Trust’s Covid-19 Wellbeing Group, says staff are truly grateful for the donations which have made this possible:
“On behalf of the group, and all staff, I wanted to say a huge thank you. Thanks to your generosity, we’re now able to make significant improvements in the area of mental health.”
In addition to these longer-term plans to support staff, the charity’s Covid-19 Staff Wellbeing Appeal has also provided staff and patients with added extras to boost morale. These have included reclining seats and extra appliances for staff rooms, to make breaks between shifts more relaxing, and colourful wall art and audio cubes for patient areas to make their time in hospital more comfortable.
Take a look at the full thank you video from the charity below.
Urgent Appeal Grants
Grants given to NHS charities are used to meet the immediate and urgent needs of patients, staff and volunteers. Funding is also going towards helping partnerships outside hospitals, such as hospices, community healthcare and social care, making sure patients leaving hospital have access to the care they need to recover. In the longer term it will also fund programmes to help staff and volunteers recover fully once the crisis has abated, reducing the long-term impact on them and the people they care about.
About the Urgent Appeal
The NHS Charities Together Urgent Appeal acknowledges and supports NHS staff and volunteers caring for COVID-19 patients. It has been put together in liaison with NHS England and national bodies, our member NHS charities and national giving platforms. Click here to donate.
