Captain Sir Tom: Hospitals charity pays tribute after receiving £200,000 from Covid appeal

Staff at the neonatal intensive care unit with wellbeing packs provided by WISHH charity

The charity supporting Hull’s hospitals has paid tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore after revealing it has received £200,000 from the NHS fundraising campaign he contributed to.

The WISHH charity has so far received grants totalling £200,000 from the NHS Charities Together’s Covid-19 Appeal.

The appeal has raised £150m, which includes the record-breaking £32.8m (£39.3m with Gift Aid) raised by Captain Sir Tom.

The war veteran, who died last month aged 100, was laid to rest on Saturday in a funeral broadcast to the nation.

He became a Guinness World Record holder for the most money raised by an individual by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday.

The funding WISHH has received has allowed it to support the health and wellbeing of hospital staff across the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle ill Hospital.

This has included enhancing staff rooms with new furniture, fridges and microwaves. Sanctuary rooms have also been introduced, and boxes containing distraction and relaxation items have been produced, as well as support information for ward staff.

One of the charity’s largest legacy projects has been part-funded by NHS Charities Together; a long-term Health Wellbeing Facility at Castle Hill, which is due to open in late spring.

The facility will provide hospital staff and volunteers, both during and outside working hours, dedicated areas for to unwind and relax. The area will also contain space for activities such as Pilates or yoga, which aid staff in their recuperation and recovery.

The forthcoming wellbeing facility at Castle Hill

Hospital staff and volunteers will be able to use the space in any formal or informal way to help them cope with their experiences of Covid-19, to maintain their physical and psychological wellbeing and for general relaxation purposes.

The physical and emotional strain of working through the Covid-19 pandemic reinforced the need for such a facility, the charity said.

Numerous outdoor areas have also been created to enable staff to stay safe and take socially distanced breaks.

Additional iPads have been provided to support patients and help them keep in touch with loved ones during the pandemic. Wards are being brightened with artwork, and furniture has been provided for a complex disability ward, and for an assessment flat and dining room.

Funding provided has also enabled the provision of enhanced bereavement support services.

Sue Lockwood, chair of WISHH, said, “As the nation said a fond farewell to Captain Sir Tom Moore, his remarkable achievements and that of our supporting fundraisers have helped WISHH create a local legacy across Hull hospitals.

“Our community has relied heavily on NHS staff and never more so than throughout this pandemic. We have worked closely with Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital to identify how WISHH could help support staff and patients with funds raised during and beyond the Covid-19 crisis. 

“We are immensely grateful to Captain Sir Tom Moore and NHS Charities Together for this support, and to our local fundraisers helping us to make a difference to the outstanding people who provide our care.”

Ellie Orton, chief executive of NHS Charities Together, said: “Captain Sir Tom Moore was a complete inspiration to us all and his memory lives on through the incredible programmes NHS charities have been able to fund.

“Thanks to his efforts, funds have reached the length and breadth of the UK through every one of our 241 member charities, and they have made a huge difference on the ground, both to address the immediate needs of patients and staff and to support the longer-term recovery of the NHS.

“His legacy will live on through the work of the Captain Tom Foundation.”

The support of NHS charities will be crucial in the years ahead as the health service recovers from the most challenging period in its history.

NHS Charities Together is the national charity caring for the NHS. It helps provide additional support to patients, NHS staff and volunteers, working through its 241 member charities based with hospitals, ambulance trusts, community health trusts, mental health trusts and health boards across the UK.

More than £118m of the money raised has already been made available to the 241 member charities to help patients, staff and volunteers on the ground.