News

Supporting our NHS staff during the Covid-19 outbreak

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is playing a central role in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak across our communities. Our staff have done an incredible job preparing for a significant increase in patients needing our support, and have reacted quickly and positively to the changing circumstances within our hospitals. However, we are aware that this unprecedented demand on our services means that we need to, now more than ever, ensure our staff are taking the time to look after themselves, so they can provide the best possible care to patients at this challenging time.

In response to this demand, we launched our COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund, designed not only to increase our intensive care bed capacity but also to provide crucial support for our frontline staff. Thanks to generous donations to the fund so far, we have been able to create two new dedicated Staff Health and Wellbeing Hubs at both hospital sites, open 24 hours a day.

Housed in the Education Centre at West Middlesex University Hospital and the recently completed CW+ Studio at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, these spaces provide a welcoming environment for staff to relax, reflect and refuel before, after and during shifts. We are providing free tea, coffee, refreshments and toiletries around the clock. We are also offering yoga and exercise areas as well as mindfulness activities to help relax staff after long shifts in the clinical environment.

We have installed sleep pods from Metronaps in both our CW+ indoor garden at Chelsea and Westminster, and the new wellbeing hub at West Middlesex. These semi-private pods enable staff to nap for 20 minutes or longer, falling asleep to specially composed music, ensuring they are well rested before or after a shift. We have created an additional rest area in the new Sky Garden space, adjacent to the Intensive Care Unit at Chelsea and Westminster, which features bespoke artwork from musician and artist Brian Eno. Staff are also able to charge their phones, free of charge at a number of new CW+ charging points across the hospitals and in the wellbeing areas.

As many staff are now having to isolate away from home, we have also made up and distributed care packages including spare clothes, toiletries such as hand cream as well as food, drink and groceries, to ensure staff have everything they need if they cannot get home.

Every single member of staff across the Trust is working extremely hard during this time and we are so incredibly proud of the tenacity and dedication that we are seeing from them every single day.

Support for our Rapid Response Fund ensures we are able to respond quickly to the evolving needs of our staff. Click here if you would like to support our COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund. Please click here for the latest NHS advice and guidance on Covid-19.

The newly completed CW+ Studio at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Staff at West Middlesex using the new Health and Wellbeing Hub