7 minute read
Fundraising report
Mealtime Volunteers serve up support for hospital patients
During the pandemic, visiting restrictions have been tough for many patients. With opportunities for friends and family members to visit limited by Covid-19 precautions, feelings of loneliness and isolation have often been exacerbated.
During the year, however, we were able to welcome back our regular Mealtime Volunteers to offer a friendly face and a healthy meal for patients staying in a variety of wards.
By building a rapport with patients, Mealtime Volunteers have been able to provide important companionship support as well as collecting patient feedback and meeting an area of need identified by NHS colleagues.
For the safety and peace of mind of everyone in our hospitals, the role was relaunched with safety as a priority. All our volunteers received thorough training on infection control procedures and the use of protective equipment. “Patients are really happy when they see a volunteer. You can see their mood brightens up. I'm doing a Masters degree and volunteering really takes away the stress from all the studying."
Mohammad Mealtime Volunteer
92%
of Mealtime Volunteers agree they made a useful contribution during the pandemic
ABOVE: Mealtime Volunteer Michael at Charing Cross Hospital.
Helping patients and their families at times of financial crisis
For many patients facing an extended stay in hospital or ongoing treatment for a longterm condition, looking after their health isn't the only concern. Transport costs, household bills and supermarket trips for basic essentials can quickly mount, leaving patients and their families in a perilous financial position at the worst possible time.
Over the last year, however, we provided emergency support for many families facing this unimaginable situation. In total, we awarded 117 urgent grants - up from 109 in 2020/21 - awarding over £67,000. Around half of these grants went to support single-parent families living with children, and two thirds helped patients living in deprived areas.
"We really treasure the hardship grants," said Helen Avila, a Family Liaison Sister at St Mary's Hospital. "The families we look after are always so grateful - even for just a small amount of money - to tide them over. It can make a huge difference."
69%
of patient hardship grantees live in areas of higher than average deprivation
47%
of patient hardship grants awarded to a single parent living with children
Miranda Rodger, Macmillan Cancer Information Specialist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
CASE STUDY
Breathing new life into phlebotomy unit at Hammersmith Hospital
Our £100,000 grant has helped to fund an expansion of the Phlebotomy Unit at Hammersmith Hospital, turning a cramped space in an adapted office into a fresh and open clinical area fit to meet the needs of patients and NHS staff.
The new design and layout means even more haematology and oncology patients can receive care in a private area. With five new treatment spaces - each area with its own computer and label printer - patients are benefiting from calm and relaxing spaces.
During the pandemic, the improvements have also made it easier for staff and patients to maintain a safe social distance when providing care.
Karen Bradley, Lead Nurse for Clinical Haematology at Hammersmith Hospital, said: "The state-of-the-art phlebotomy unit is a great reflection of what we can achieve to enhance clinical facilities. It has had such a positive impact on the hospital experience for our patients - and staff love the new space too. We have had comments from other phlebotomy staff across the Trust who said they have really enjoyed working in this new area."
Enhancing wellbeing of NHS staff Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of hard-working NHS staff
On the front line of our hospitals are the extraordinary NHS staff who provide outstanding care to patients and their families – morning, noon and night. We believe that by supporting the wellbeing of our NHS colleagues and creating opportunities to further their professional development, we can help our hospitals provide the best possible care.
We've enabled NHS staff to pursue ambitious research projects, develop new skills and gain valuable experience outside their normal roles, as well as improving staff facilities to create better working environments.
To help us achieve this objective, we said we would:
• fund a research fellowships programme, enabling NHS staff to further their careers while contributing to innovation in healthcare
• develop our charity membership offer, including access to arts institutions and special offers as a core benefit for NHS staff
• provide financial support for the Trust’s recognition scheme, celebrating the achievements of NHS staff.
In 2021/22, we:
• awarded 10 research fellowships totalling £661k to enable NHS staff to develop their research skills and pursue an academic career
• provided arts opportunities and benefits to more than 8,000 members of NHS staff through our Staff Arts Club
• enabled our volunteers to contribute nearly 17,000 hours of volunteering time supporting staff across the Trust’s hospitals
• began a major programme of improvements to staff facilities, including better breakrooms, changing areas, showers and kitchen facilities.
Our progress towards achieving this objective
During a challenging year in which NHS staff across our hospitals continued to face significant pressure as a result of Covid-19, our work has provided important practical support as well as helping to ensure staff feel valued and recognised for their commitment to patient care.
The overwhelming show of support, gratitude and generosity from members of the public towards key workers has been a recurring theme of the pandemic - and we have continued to focus on supporting mental health and wellbeing for our Trust colleagues over the last year.
Significantly, we have worked in partnership with the Trust to begin a major programme of improvements to staff facilities - with dozens of breakrooms, changing areas, showers and kitchen facilities refurbished during the year - while providing a further six months of funding to support the Trust's staff counselling service, CONTACT.
Through our arts programme, we made creative activities and workshops available to NHS staff as well as patients, giving them space to reflect on their experiences and explore their feelings and emotions through practical art-making. With the gradual easing of Covid restrictions, we were also able to reopen access to our partner galleries - Tate, the V&A and the Royal Academy of Arts - for staff to attend exhibitions and events for free as part of our Staff Arts Club membership offer.
Alongside this support, we continued to enable NHS staff to progress their academic careers by awarding our annual research fellowships. The funding gives clinical and non-clinical staff the opportunity to take time out from their day-to-day role to pursue a research project for the benefit of patients and staff at the Trust's hospitals. The pandemic has placed extraordinary and unprecedented pressures on NHS staff. Dealing with new surges of Covid-19 cases and the risks posed to themselves, their colleagues and their patients has taken a toll on the mental wellbeing of many hospital workers.
That’s why we’ve continued to provide funding to expand the CONTACT service at Imperial College Healthcare, which offers a comprehensive range of mental health and wellbeing support for staff, including oneto-one counselling sessions and emotional wellbeing groups.
Through our Covid-19 Relief Fund, we’ve been supporting the service since April 2020 by boosting the number of counsellors and helping the CONTACT team continue to deliver a rapid response for those in the most difficult circumstances.
We were able to extend the service for an additional six months from April to September 2021, enabling CONTACT to deliver over 2,500 hours of counselling to staff across the Trust.
452
staff accessed one-to-one counselling in 2021/22
2,504
hours of staff counselling were delivered in 2021/22
90%
of staff who used the CONTACT service agreed that it made them better able to cope at work
75%
of staff who used the CONTACT service agreed it had a positive effect on patient care
CONTACT service user
ABOVE: Over 450 staff have accessed counselling.
