COVID-19 Rapid Response Appeal launched to support Gloucestershire's NHS staff

Published by

Nicky Godding

An appeal has been launched to support NHS staff in Gloucestershire as its hospitals come under increasing pressure as a result of COVID-19.

Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals Charity has launched the campaign to provide help wherever the need is greatest.

By making a donation today to the COVID-19 Rapid Response Appeal you can support a number of projects including:

‘Boost boxes’ to provide snacks and toiletries for teams as they work intensively to care for patients
Wellbeing resources to help alleviate stress for people while working under constant pressure
Establishing fully equipped Staff Sleep Pods as places for people to take a break during periods of intensive work and ensure they are not too tired to drive home.
Fold-out beds to help teams rest and recuperate
The provision of alternative transport to work such as taxi or a minibus if public transport is not available.

Richard Smith, Head of Fundraising at Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals Charity said: “In this most unprecedented of times, NHS staff in Gloucestershire are working around the clock to provide the best possible care to patients.

“The COVID-19 Rapid Response Appeal will enable us to give vital wellbeing support, working closely with teams to provide the help where they need it most. Currently, donations will go towards providing refreshment packages, sleep pods, transport and other projects.

“We have already received many calls and emails from the community asking how they can help which is just fantastic, and we hope that people will get behind this appeal to support our incredible NHS teams.”

Michele Pashley 2020 Staff Health and Wellbeing Coordinator at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the appeal was a great way to give a morale boost to everyone working.

“We are hugely proud of all the efforts of all of our teams during this period of growing pressure on the NHS.

“They are all going above and beyond and anything which can be done to provide even further support for their wellbeing is hugely appreciated.”

To donate to the appeal, please visit https://justgiving.com/campaign/GlosCovid19

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.