WISHH To Deliver Health And Wellbeing Facility For Hospital Staff

Hospital staff in Hull are to benefit from a £130,000 health and wellbeing facility thanks to the support of local people and NHS Charities Together.

Earlier this year, individuals and community groups pulled out all the stops to thank the staff for working through the Covid-19 pandemic at both Castle Hill Hospital and Hull Royal Infirmary.

Collections, donations and fundraisers of all kinds took place to show appreciation for the staff risking their own health, and that of their families, to continue caring for others.

Now, thanks to the monies raised by the local community, businesses and charities, and boosted by an additional grant of £50,000 from NHS Charities Together, Hull Hospitals’ official charity WISHH has been able to secure funding to support the long-term health and wellbeing of hospital staff and volunteers.

The health and wellbeing facility will be created at Castle Hill Hospital and will be made available to staff and volunteers both during and outside working hours.

The physical and emotional strain of working through the Covid-19 pandemic reinforced the need for such a facility, which will offer dedicated areas for staff to unwind and relax. The area will also contain space for activities such as pilates or yoga which aid staff wellbeing but which can often be difficult to accommodate within the hospitals at the present time.

Design work for this permanent £130,000 facility is now underway.

Hospital staff and volunteers will be able to use the space in any formal or informal way to help them cope with their experiences of Covid-19, to maintain their physical and psychological wellbeing and for general relaxation purposes.

Sue Lockwood, Chair of the WISHH Charity said, “Since WISHH launched the fundraising campaign at the start of the pandemic, we have worked closely with Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital to identify how we could help support staff during and beyond the COVID 19 crisis. We rely heavily on them for our healthcare and never more so than in recent months.

“This new facility will give the staff much-needed space and opportunity for rest and relaxation, and provide ways to address their own wellbeing. This is something the staff asked us to support and we are delighted to do so. Our aim is to go on to create a facility in both hospitals.

“The Castle Hill project would not have been possible without the generosity of our local communities, and that put us in the position to be able to bid for an additional £50,000 of national funds through NHS Charities Together.

“We are immensely grateful to NHS Charities Together for the grant and to our local supporters helping us to make a difference to the outstanding people who provide our care.”

For more information about the WISHH Covid Campaign visit our website https://wishhcharity.org.uk/get-involved/https-www.justgiving.com-campaign-wishhappeal or Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/wishhappeal