Staff members step up
Staff members Natalie and Olivia have taken the world by storm with their fundraising in the last month, between them raising nearly £2000 to support staff and patients at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital.
Both are clinical members of staff directly working with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases, yet have found the time to support us outside of work, a very commendable thing to do.
Sister Natalie’s passion for fundraising ignited after the new infection control regulations came into place whereby staff members were told to shower after caring for any confirmed or suspected case. She realised that for a lot of people this could be financially straining; using up their toiletries on a daily or weekly basis. Of course, the trust provided showering essentials, however many staff members preferred not to use these and put the trust under further financial restraint. This drove her to build a GoFundMe page and proceeded to make staff essential baskets filled with showering essentials as well as a few treats for each clinical area.
“Trust me when I say we are just as scared as the general population, especially bringing it home to our loved ones but we are needed. So we continue to do what we do best – go to work and smile. We care for your loved ones as if they were our own”
Sister Natalie Jackson
Olivia opened her GoFundMe page after having a conversation with a patient in isolation who was upset that they couldn’t get their daily essentials from their family. New toiletries and their daily newspaper, all because they were no longer able to receive visitors. Olivia proceeded to appeal to her local community and received an overwhelming response.
“Sometimes all it takes is something small to make their day a bit brighter and a little less scary – they don’t even get to see another smile with all the protective gear!”
Staff Nurse Olivia O’Connell
We have been overwhelmed with their commitment to support their fellow staff members and the patients they see every day, through what is a really difficult time for a lot of people.
We would like to say a huge thank you both these amazing fundraisers, and to anyone who contributed to either appeals, your support really does mean so much!
To contribute to either page, please visit our COVID-19 support page.
