Week of Reflection and Dedication 22 – 26 March
Join UHB Charity for our Week of Reflection and Dedication, as we look back over the last year and remember those we have lost, support those who are bereaved, and dedicate our thank you’s to all the staff at UHB who have worked tirelessly over the last year.
Over the last year, hundreds of thousands of people have unfortunately lost their lives causing devastation to the millions of people who have been bereaved. University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Foundation Trust has sadly been the worst affected trust in the country, seeing an unprecedented rate of mortality, and forcing our staff to work under new and unfamiliar conditions.
As we approach the one-year mark since the first lockdown in the UK, University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) Charity would like to say a huge thank you to all our NHS Superheroes, keyworkers and all the staff across the trust for all the amazing work they have done over the past 12 months. We cannot begin to imagine how challenging and uncertain this year has been for those all the staff and cannot put into words how grateful we are for all that they have done.
This week, Monday 22 March to Friday 26 February, UHB Charity is holding a Week of Reflection and Dedication. During this time, we wish to pause and reflect on the lives that have been lost this past year and offer sympathies to all those who are grieving the loss of a loved ones. We want to dedicate our thank you’s to the incredible staff across all our hospitals who have worked relentlessly in the face of unprecedented change. Our NHS Superheroes have saved lives, held the hands of those who were dying and consoled their families and friends.
We have set up a dedication page, where you can leave a reflection or thank you message to anyone who has supported you over the past year in UHB trust.
Tuesday 23 March, the first anniversary of the first UK lockdown, is a National Day of Reflection. UHB Charity will joining the rest of the country as we reflect on our collective loss, support those who have been bereaved, and hope for a brighter future. At 12noon there will be a minute of silence, in which we are being invited to reflect on and remember those who have lost their lives.
Charlotte Schofield, Director of Fundraising at University Hospitals Birmingham Charity said: “We cannot begin to imagine the year that some people have had. Our condolences go out to all those who have lost a loved one and are grieving. UHB Charity, along with the support of many, I am sure, wants to express their gratitude to our NHS, to all the staff in our four hospitals who worked so unbelievably hard this year! This year has been the hardest that our NHS has ever faced, and yet our staff have come to work every single day and faced it head on. There are no words to explain how grateful we are.”
University Hospitals Birmingham Charity has been humbled to witness how the local community rallied around to support our wonderful NHS during the pandemic. Thanks to our generous supporters, UHB Charity has been able to help patients and staff throughout the pandemic. In March 2020 we launched our NHS Superheroes appeal, and we were overwhelmed by the response. The support helped us to raise £1 million to support our patients and staff throughout the pandemic. With this support, we have been able to provide hundreds of iPads for patients to stay in touch with their families, thousands of bereavement packs for families of those who have died, 40 ‘wobble rooms’ and thousands of care packages for the well-being hubs which provide psychological and emotional support for our staff.
There are still tough times ahead, but at UHB Charity, we want to look towards to the future, with hope of brighter days. We plan to continue to support our staff, patients, and families in whatever way we can, going ‘above and beyond’ to better our hospitals. Going forward, we have plans to refurbish areas of our hospitals, such as the Children’s departments at Solihull Hospital and Good Hope Hospital. We want to make them brighter and more inviting places to visit, taking the stress and anxiety away from visiting our hospitals. We will be bringing new and exciting projects to our hospitals, which will improve the experiences patients have when visiting and help improve the health and wellbeing of the community.
We would love it if you could join us next week by following us on social media channels (please see the links below) and help us share our stories.