17 December 2021
Christmas gifts for neurological staff
One of the most well known departments within University Hospital Southampton is the Wessex Neurological Centre.
Gail Doran, Care Group Manager for Neurosciences, says: “We applied for staff gifts through Southampton Hospitals Charity so that we can give a much needed boost to our staff.
Last Christmas we entered Christmas with a spike in Covid-19 patients to the hospital, and it was a very difficult time to be working for the NHS. Throughout the last year, we have used Charity funding to provide tea, coffee and squash for our teams, and they have been really grateful.
This year is the second Christmas that staff are working flat out with Covid-19 pressures. This got us thinking as to what we could do for staff that was a bit different.
We have spent £3,000 on around 1,200 items to bring some joy to our 550 staff in the Wessex Neurological Centre. All of these items we are putting in boxes to distribute for staff to enjoy a gift or two. Items include chocolates, stress balls, pocket-sized notebooks, handcreams, travel mugs, succulent plants, and much more.
I know that it doesn’t make up for the hospital being a really hard environment to work in currently, how tired people are, and how difficult it has been for everyone, but we hope it can go some way to at least put a smile on their faces.
Thank you to everyone who has already supported the Charity’s Christmas campaign to fill our wards with Christmas magic. It means so much to us all.”
