Northamptonshire Health Charity has provided £10,000 of funding for 22 picnic tables for Kettering General Hospital to enable staff to have their breaks outside – they are also benefitting patients and visitors at the hospital and across its satellite sites in the north of the county.
The initiative came about following a suggestion from the hospital’s Health and Wellbeing Group.
The tables – which have their own seating – have been installed across the main hospital site and also at offsite locations in Wellingborough, Corby, Irthlingborough and around the medical records centre in Kettering.
Some of the benches have a rainbow design signalling the hospital’s commitment to equality for all and some are designed to better enable disabled access.
Alice Power, engagement advisor on the hospital’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, said:
During the pandemic we had to restrict the way in which staff socialised and had to introduce social distancing in many different ways.
One of the things that became clear was that places to eat and drink outside were fairly limited on the hospital site and we thought there was an opportunity to start to address this.
The picnic tables can be used by anyone and enable staff to relax and chat in their breaks or eat lunch outside in the fresh air.
Charity funding was approved for the tables and over the last few weeks the hospital’s supply and distribution team have been working hard to put them in place.
Alison McCulloch, Head of Fundraising for the Northamptonshire Healthcare Charity, said:
We are very proud to support NHS staff wellbeing initiatives locally for our fantastic NHS teams who work so hard to provide the care for our local communities.
We have funded these beautiful picnic tables for staff as we know how important it is to be able to take a break from work outside in the fresh air.
This simple but well received staff wellbeing initiative highlights what a difference our supporters’ donations really do make.
The picnic tables are the latest in a series of staff welfare initiatives at Kettering General Hospital which also benefit patients, visitors and members of the local community who are free to use them.
In September 2021 the hospital opened a new £31,000 outdoor gym in its Pocket Park for staff, and local people, using funds raised by Captain Sir Tom Moore for NHS Charities Together.