7 April 2020

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is saying a big “thank you” to its local communities for the support given to NHS staff working on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.

Generous donations, kind offers and messages of thanks and have poured into the Trust as it cares for local patients who are seriously unwell with Covid-19.

Frimley Health runs Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey and Wexham Park and Heatherwood hospitals in Berkshire, together with a variety of community services.

In recent weeks its staff have received donations of food and drink, free or discounted accommodation to enable them to continue caring for patients when others at home are self-isolating, and a host of other offers from local businesses.

Local schoolchildren have designed and sent in their own ‘thank you’ cards, and the Trust has even received offers to purchase specific items of equipment for its hospitals.

Now fundraisers are hoping to channel that continued goodwill into their new Covid-19 Appeal, ensuring they can quickly respond to the hospitals’ changing needs.

Andrew House, director of the Frimley Health Charity, which oversees all fundraising at the Trust, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity shown to our staff by individuals and businesses over the last few weeks.

“At times such as these communities really come together to support each other. Our doctors and nurses are working magnificently around the clock to care for patients from our region, and in turn our communities have shown how much they appreciate that effort. Thank you to everyone who has given a donation or sent a message of support.

“The situation at our hospitals is changing daily, and we believe that those who wish to contribute can do so most effectively by donating to our Covid-19 Appeal.

“Funds raised by this appeal will enable us to react quickly and ensure we can get the right resources to the right departments at the right time.”

Donations to the Covid-19 Appeal have already enabled the charity to purchase 20 Android tablets to help patients hold voice and video calls with loved ones, following restrictions to visiting to slow the spread of the virus.

All money raised by the appeal will go directly to support the care of patients with Covid-19 or to support the wellbeing of the staff looking after them.

You can donate online at www.frimleyhealthcharity.org