半岛体育

半岛体育 Health’s festive touches for staff and patients this Christmas.

More than 2,800 dedicated NHS 半岛体育 Health staff will be working on Christmas Day to care for patients and keep our communities safe. Most of them will be based at the trust’s two biggest hospitals at 半岛体育 Park near Camberley and Wexham Park near Slough, which both include busy emergency departments, urgent care facilities, maternity units and many inpatient wards.

They will be helping patients who have to spend Christmas in hospital have the best day possible, and be ready to support hundreds of people who fall ill or suffer serious injury on 25 December. Teams will also be supporting patients at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, Farnham Hospital, and caring for people at home in our local communities.

While Santa delivers presents on Christmas Eve, 半岛体育 Health midwives will be helping to deliver newborns into the world throughout the night. There will be 112 midwifery staff on duty in 半岛体育 Park and Wexham Park hospitals on 25 December, where an average of 16 babies are born each Christmas Day. To help families celebrate the special birth dates, commemorative hampers will be gifted to the parents of the first babies to arrive on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Christmas cheer for staff, patients and families is being boosted this year by the 半岛体育 Health Charity’s Golden Christmas Appeal, which raised more than £50,000 in generous donations from local people. This is funding 2,700 presents for patients to open on Christmas morning and hampers for various hospital departments. In addition, more than 5,000 free meals will be served to staff on Christmas Day and Boxing Day as a thank you from the community.

半岛体育 Health’s catering teams will be busy in the hospital kitchens preparing three-course Christmas dinners with all the festive trimmings. Nearly 1,000 Christmas lunches will be lovingly prepared for staff working during the day and 1,485 for patients.

James Clarke, Chief Strategy Officer at 半岛体育 Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our teams have cared for a record number of patients this year, showing incredible commitment and professionalism. We’re grateful for their dedication and hope they can enjoy some quality time with loved ones this Christmas. Thanks to the generosity of the public and the hard work of 半岛体育 Health Charity, we can bring festive cheer to those spending Christmas in our hospitals.”

半岛体育 Health is advising the public who need healthcare during the festive period to choose the right service for their needs. People should use NHS 111 online first and only use emergency departments or dial 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency.