Christmas Grants
Every December Friends committee members visit wards and departments prior to Christmas to donate an annual Christmas grant. The money can be used to buy a small gift for patients, to enhance ward enviornments and improve the patients' experience at Christmas.
Here is how some of the grants were used in 2022:
Neonatal intensive Care Ward 8D
Tracy Fox, Matron ward 8D has been in touch to thank the Friends for the Christmas donation. “The money was used to make gift bags for the 37 babies ln the unit plus a couple of extras for new admissions over the festive period. The staff bought Christmas gift bags and then made sure each one was filled with a blanket, soft toy, book and rattle or baby brush / care kit.
The families were very surprised and grateful and it brought a smile to their faces as well as to the faces of staff when they came in on Christmas morning and Santa had left a little gift for every baby.
Thank you all again for your kindness.”
Renal Outpatients 9th floor
Damini Suresh, Renal Research Matron got in touch.
“Thank you for donating money towards our outpatients who attend the renal and urology department. We decided to buy some cakes, chocolate, fruit and crisps for patients. We set up a room in the outpatient department so that patients could grab some food after their appointment. This went down a treat, especially with the terrible weather and patients were very grateful.
Thank you for your generous donation.”
Paediatric Critical Care Unit (PCCU)
Felicity Mitchell, Bereavement and Family Liaison Nurse also got in touch:
“Thank you so much for the incredibly kind Christmas grant. We bought each set of parents (10 in total) a lovely winter tin of biscuits and a hand cream which were then wrapped. It is such a lovely gesture to be able to give the parent and families a gift when they are spending Christmas in hospital with their children and I know they are greatly appreciated.
Many thanks.”
Post natal ward 8F
Ama Kwakye Ward manager wrote:
“On behalf of all the staff and patients of RLH postnatal ward 8F I would like to say a very big thank you for your wonderful Christmas grant which enabled us to buy gifts for all the staff to say thank you for their hard work throughout the year. . We were able to appreciate staff for their dedication to patient care by coming to work on Christmas Day and night with loads of snacks, fruit and drinks.
We also gave all the babies on the ward a New Year’s Day gift .
