Thank you for making a difference
The last 6 months have been a very challenging and busy time for everyone.
The Northamptonshire Health Charity team are really grateful to everyone who has donated to, or raised funds in aid of, our COVID-19 appeal.
It is thanks to your support for us and for NHS Charities Together that we have been incredibly busy with funding so many different projects and initiatives to meet the needs of patients and staff affected by coronavirus.
Here are some of the many more ways you’ve helped to make a difference.
Further and more detailed updates will follow in due course:
Development of new permanent ‘Our Space’ facility
NGH Our Space was first set up in the Blood Taking Unit while it was not in use.
The NGH Our Space area has provided an important place for staff to take some crucial time out and seek support, where required.
As the pandemic continues and even beyond, Northampton General Hospital wishes to continue offering this calming and tranquil space for all staff.
Occupying the Blood Taking Unit for the first few months, the Our Space facility is currently in the hospital boardroom and while it continues to provide a valuable service for staff, Northamptonshire Health Charity is pleased to be able to fund the development of the new permanent facility on the hospital site.
Reflection garden
The under-used outdoor space at the back of the Barratt Maternity Home is going to be developed into a peaceful reflection garden for both staff and patients to use.
During the pandemic, Northampton General Hospital experienced the loss of both colleagues and patients.
This outside space will be professionally transformed with appropriate planting and seating to provide an oasis of peace, calm and reflection as well as enhanced facilities for staff and patients to take some rest time and enjoy the open air and pleasant surroundings of the garden.
It will be a place for reflections, conversation and remembrance.
Toiletries for patients
Birthday packs for patients
As no visitors have been allowed for patients, many of them have been in need of toiletries which the charity has been able to provide for those at Northampton General Hospital and those staying in the community and mental health hospitals.
Birthday packs for patients
We funded birthday packs for any patients spending their birthday in hospital during the pandemic.
These contained cards, stickers, banners, confetti and balloons etc.
Patients often get serenaded by staff on the day too.
Portable DVD players and radios
Esther White ward forms part of the Nye Bevan emergency assessment unit at Northampton General Hospital and so it is expected patients will always pass through the unit quite quickly.
Therefore, there are none of the TV/entertainment systems that you get for each bed on other wards.
During the pandemic these wards have seen patients spend much longer on them so we are glad to have been able to fund portable DVD players and radios to help them pass the time, especially with no visitors allowed.
Goody bags for student nurses, Critical Care & Urgent Care teams
Following training and COVID debrief sessions, we’ve funded goody bags for staff containing some edible treats and a drink but also things like hand creams and hydrating face masks.
Critical Care staff received a thank you card and pin badge
Student nurses
70 student nurses at Northampton General Hospital received a goody bag each.
It’s been a very difficult time for them throughout the pandemic so being able to remind them all that they are in our thoughts in this way is really great.
And by ‘our’ thoughts I do mean ‘your’ thoughts too because it’s thanks to your donations that enables us to support something like this.
Critical Care
Goody bags for Nye Bevan staff were very well-received.
The hospital ran a week of debrief sessions for staff who’ve been working in the tough Critical Care department through the pandemic.
We were able to fund goody bags for all those who attended.
They also received a critical care heroes badge and thank you card.
Urgent Care
At the beginning of the outbreak and for quite some time during the pandemic, staff working on Esther White and Walter Tull wards were right on the frontline in many similar ways to those in Critical Care.
We funded goody bags for the 130 staff across both wards following their own COVID-19 debrief sessions.
While these may seem like relatively simple things, they make a big difference to staff.
They contained things like hydrating face masks, lip balm, hand and nail cream, face creams and treatments, a pen and pin badge, a sweet treat and a drink.
Ice creams for CAMHS inpatients and staff
“On behalf of the staff and young people in John Greenwood Shipman, Squirrels, The Sett and The Burrows (and the passing Labrador that asked so nicely for an ice cream) we would like to say a huge thank you.
The last few months have been such a challenge in these areas, they have all operated 24/7 throughout the pandemic, and the young people and staff really deserved a special treat.
Ang’s Ices helped us to deliver an ice cream surprise to all of the staff and young people.
We had a lovely day creating smiles across these fantastic services.”
Service Manager for Children’s and Adolescents Mental Health Services and the Children’s Short Break Centres in Northamptonshire
Weighted blankets and protac sensit chairs for CAMHS patients
The coronavirus pandemic has made things difficult for so many people, including children and adolescents with mental health conditions.
Thanks to your donations and fundraising Northamptonshire Health Charity is able to fund some weighted blankets and two protac sensit chairs for the CAMHS inpatient units.
This equipment will offer deep pressure touch stimulation which calms the central nervous system.
They literally give children a big warm hug, offering an enhanced level of care for them at this difficult time.
Teddy bears for Perinatal Mental Health team for their online groups
Teddy bears for perinatal mental health team online group work with patients.
Sometimes, it’s just a little something that makes a big difference!
Northamptonshire Health Charity purchased four teddy bears for the Perinatal Mental Health team.
These are helping them to facilitate their online groups.
The weekly face-to-face Stay and Play sessions the team used to run are for mums who would benefit from frequent advice from a Nursery Nurse about the development of their baby; advice from an Occupational Therapist (OT) about daily functioning and mental health recovery; as well as peer support from other mums with perinatal mental health difficulties.
The online sessions that were introduced during lockdown and that will continue for the foreseeable future have received some great feedback from the mums.
Relaxation room at Welland Centre
There’s some further preliminary work to be done but the charity will be funding the creation of a relaxation room at the Welland Centre at St Mary’s Hospital – this centre looks after mental health patients of working age and the room will be multifunctional as it is used for therapy groups, it houses the library, is used for patients to meet with their family.
It will also benefit staff who use the room for meetings and training.
Equipment for Speech and Language Therapy Special Needs Education
The equipment we are funding will enable the Speech and Language Special Education Needs service to assess and provide therapy to children and young people across Northamptonshire with complex communication needs.
Having their own set of equipment will enable them to act in a far more timely and thorough manner than has been the case when they have to loan such equipment.
Well-being packs for staff at Forest Centre
We funded items for 60 wellbeing packs for the staff at the Forest Centre, St Mary’s Hospital in Kettering.
Here the staff look after older mental health patients, including those with dementia.
These wellbeing packs for the staff include the hydrating face masks, foot peels, lip balm, hand and nail creams and more.
Decompression day for staff
The charity will be funding the venue costs to support a decompression day for Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (NHFT) staff who have worked on the frontline during the COVID pandemic.
This is especially for those staff who might have been exposed to stressful and potentially traumatising situations.
Fruit baskets for staff
Northamptonshire Health Charity are able to fund fruit baskets for those teams across NHFT who have been working throughout the pandemic.
This includes ward-based, secured services and teams which have continued to deliver services from one central location.
We couldn’t fund these types of projects without all your wonderful support this year – thank you all so much!!
There’s still time to get involved.
Why not take on a virtual fundraising challenge and help to continue making these big differences?
Find out more >>here<<.