Published on 1 April 2020
An appeal to support hard-working hospital staff during the coronavirus outbreak has almost reached £4,500.
The East Kent Hospitals Charity launched the appeal to support frontline staff in the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, and the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.
It has raised thousands of pounds in a little over a week, and is now close to reaching the £5,000 milestone.
Dee Neligan, fundraising and development officer for the charity, said: “We are grateful for the donations and the fantastic messages of support for the dedicated staff across the Trust.
“They continue to come to work every day to care for our patients, and many have volunteered for new roles on the frontline to support colleagues in these unprecedented times.
“We are very pleased that our community in east Kent is backing this appeal, and it really will make a difference to our nurses, doctors, healthcare assistants, midwives, therapists, porters and housekeeping staff.”
One donor wrote: “There are not enough words to express our gratitude for all the NHS does on a daily basis”, while another said: “Thank you for staying faithful to your calling to protect lives.”
Donations will be used to boost morale and support staff with emotional well-being and to fund additional extras such as hotel rooms for staff to allow them to continue working if their families are self-isolating as the pandemic continues.
ITU teams have already been gifted invaluable snacks, and toiletries will be purchased so that staff can shower when they finish their shift.
You can donate at
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ekhc2020 
