Marks and Spencer has raised a phenomenal £6.4million for our Covid-19 Appeal, thanks to huge support from staff and customers. The retailer is sharing stories from the NHS frontline to highlight how donations are helping during the Covid-19 crisis.

Suzanne Vickers is matron for palliative and end-of-life care at County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. Her patients were able to say their last goodbyes using iPads funded by our appeal.

“Covid-19 patients often decline rapidly, and visiting restrictions mean they can’t be with their relatives. The iPads connected patients to family, pets and sights and sounds that evoke happy memories. We had one patient in hospital who said goodbye to his son using the iPad. His son was sitting in the garden, so he heard the birds one last time.

“There are 30 amazing palliative-care nurses in my team, and seeing them with their relatives has given comfort to families. We’ve seen people who’d been married for 60 or 70 years, saying goodbye, and could reassure them: ‘I’ll sit with her, she won’t die by herself’. I feel privileged to do this job, to know I make a difference.”

Photo credit: Dan Lowe