Thank You
The Awyr Las Covid-19 Appeal Fund was set up just before lockdown began, and the impact that the Appeal’s donations have had is huge.
Rydym yn aros am gyfieithiadau ar gyfer y cynnwys hwn
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
At a time when we were all working over and above what is usually expected of us, so many other people in North Wales and beyond were also going over and above, fundraising and offering their support. Thanks to their hard work, we can now purchase important new equipment and fund special projects that to over and above what the NHS can provide, but that can make a very real difference for our patients and colleagues.
The support we’ve had from our local communities – and from supporters of NHS Charities Together – has been immense.
The donations we’ve received have made us all feel so appreciated, and most importantly they’ve helped make sure our patients don’t feel forgotten.
Knowing how much local people care about their NHS makes us all work even harder. The support we’ve had for our Covid-19 Appeal really will help make our healthcare services better.
Coping with Covid-19 has been easier because we’ve known our communities are right behind us. Whether people have been fundraising or offering help in other ways, writing signs of support or writing cheques to help fund additional equipment, every moment taken to show appreciation for the NHS has helped us through this challenging time.
It just makes me want to cry happy tears. We are so lucky.
These are just some of the messages we’ve received from frontline staff when we’ve been sharing information about some of the fundraising activities that people have been organising in recent months and some of the heartfelt donations that have been given.
The Awyr Las Covid-19 Appeal Fund was set up just before lockdown began, and the impact that the Appeal’s donations have had is huge.
Since March, grants totalling £305,561 have now supported new equipment, extra facilities, additional patient and staff comforts, special projects, more training, education and research programmes. All of these have gone over and above what the NHS provides, and all have been requested by frontline staff who know what their patients and colleagues really need. We’ll be sharing more details about how Covid-19 Appeal donations have made a difference for patients and for staff over the next few weeks, but for now we wanted to give you a snapshot of how contributions to the Covid-19 Appeal have contributed to the improved care and support that both patients and staff have received in recent months. The following have all been funded through the Covid-19 Appeal Fund:
- Small things, like nappies, milk and food have been funded for a Health Visitor team. Items for wobble rooms and staff wellbeing areas in our hospitals, volunteer expenses and games to help patients stay active on wards.
- Additional funding was given for the Staff Wellbeing Service set up at the start of lockdown, blood pressure machines for heart failure patients self-isolating at home, and additional equipment (including phlebotomy arms) so the Practice Nursing team could provide additional training for re-deployed nursing staff and care home staff.
- Extra ECG machines, Wellbeing boxes for dementia patients in the Community, Rainbow packs for mental health service users and emotional resilience training for staff.
- £50,000 has been allocated to fund digital devices for virtual visiting, patient entertainment and staff huddles
- £20,000 has been given to support a Bereavement Support programme
- Over £20,000 is funding Parabl Talking Therapy for mental health service users
- £39,000 will fund an important new Covid-19 Medical Education Fellowship
- £5,000 will fund a new virtual hospital scoping project, in partnership with other agencies in Wales
Our government’s lockdown restrictions are changing, and so too are the demands on and needs of our healthcare services. Colleagues are currently ascertaining how our hospitals and community healthcare services can work more closely with third sector partners and other agencies to improve the care and treatment that patients receive, and how we can use new and different technological solutions to adapt to a ‘new normal’ way of delivering healthcare. We may not know exactly what the future will bring, but we can all collectively continue to have a very real and very positive impact on our healthcare services locally through supporting the Covid-19 Appeal.
Here in North Wales, our hospitals are better places and there are smiles on patients’ and NHS colleagues’ faces thanks to the help of the thousands of generous supporters who have already given in some way to the Awyr Las Covid-19 Appeal.
To everyone that has supported the Awyr Las Covid-19 Appeal to date: you were the blue sky that all our colleagues needed in recent months. Thank you for the positive energy your support has brought and the phenomenal help and change that your support has made possible.
This Sunday, at 5pm, we hope that you will all join in with the clap for the NHS’ birthday. Along with our clinical and support colleagues we’ll be showing our immense gratitude to everyone that has supported the Awyr Las Covid-19 Appeal by clapping for all of you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
From the Awyr Las Support Team, on behalf of the 17,000 BCUHB staff we represent x