Almost a year has passed since we launched our emergency Covid-19 appeal and none of us could have predicted the impact of the virus on our National Health Service.

We have been completely overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of our local community. Your support has meant we have been able to continue our work transforming care for those who need us, and importantly, we’ve been able to look at how we can best support our frontline staff – now and for years to come.

As we approach the first anniversary of our appeal, here's how your donations have made – and will continue to make – an impact.

The difference your support makes

Over the past year, Royal Surrey Charity has funded a number of projects to support staff health and wellbeing, including:

• Delivering food for busy staff – delicious and nutritious meals, snacks, treats, and fruit have been delivered for staff working long shifts and those having to self isolate away from family at nearby hotels. Support has also been made available to help staff with healthy eating and meal planning during this busy time.
  
  
• Providing rest areas to support wellbeing – six outdoor igloos (pictured above) have been constructed at the hospital to facilitate socially distanced breaks for staff. All igloos include heating and lighting, as well as seating, so they can be used throughout the year. The igloos are already proving popular and feedback has been positive – staff have told us it’s good to be able to get away from the wards and to keep warm outdoors, even in the winter.
  
  
• Improving staff areas – grants have been provided to each ward and department, so that staff areas across the hospital can be enhanced.
  
  
• Connecting patients and staff with loved ones – we’ve funded tablets for each ward so that staff and patients are able to stay in contact with loves ones at home. This has been essential when family and friends have not been able to visit patients in isolation.
  
  
• Thanking staff and volunteers – as well as treats for those working at Christmas, funding has been given so departments can provide gifts or vouchers as a thank you to staff and volunteers.

None of these projects would have been possible without our incredible supporters: thank you.

Supporting staff wellbeing

As well as the above and thanks to funding from NHS Charities Together, planning is underway for a wellbeing cabin to be built in time for spring. The cabin will be used to provide vital health and wellbeing sessions, staff counselling, and resilience training. The garden space around the cabin will also be improved to give staff an additional place for much-needed breaks.

Looking ahead

As staff at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust continue to be hit hard by the second wave of the pandemic, we are extremely grateful that donations to our Covid-19 appeal mean we can support them during this challenging time and beyond. We continue to work closely with staff to ensure every penny that is spent supports their health and wellbeing, and helps them to provide exceptional care.

Thank you for making all of this possible.

You can still support your local NHS staff by making a donation today.