Hywel Dda Health Charities on how donations have helped patients during the pandemic

Thanks to donations from local communities and funding from NHS Charities Together over the last 12 months, Hywel Dda Health Charities – the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board – has been able to buy thousands of items to make life better for hospital patients in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From toiletries, clothing and pyjamas, at a time when patients couldn’t receive visitors, to electrical items, games, activities, arts and crafts, this vital funding has been used to make hospital stays more comfortable at an anxious time.

In addition, over £20,000 of items were donated for patients through the Hywel Dda COVID-19 patient appeal, an Amazon wish list, set up by the charity at the start of the pandemic to provide essentials for patients when visiting wasn’t possible.

In liaison with Hywel Dda Health Charities, the health board’s Patient Experience Team has been in charge of making sure items get to patients that need them most.

Emma Haycocks, manager of the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) said: “The funding from NHS Charities Together and the donations to our NHS charity at Hywel Dda have meant that we have been able to provide thousands of items to help our patients during the pandemic.

“It has been an anxious time for patients and our NHS staff have faced unprecedented challenges. But the support of the public has made a huge difference. We are very grateful.”

There have been over 3,000 items purchased, including games, activities, arts and crafts, lapboards, gardening items, toys, puzzles, wordsearch books, knitting items and exercise equipment, to help keep patients occupied, especially when they were not able to have visitors.

Trollies and storage boxes were also provided for patient property drop-off at the start of the pandemic.

And the charity bought radios, TVs and DVD players to alleviate boredom during hospital stays and washer-dryers for patients who couldn’t receive clean clothes from relatives.

Over 1,000 welcome packs – containing eye masks, ear plugs, headphones, combs, toothbrushes and paste – were bought to help make a patient’s stay in hospital more comfortable, in a link–up between Hywel Dda Health Charities and the South West and Mid Wales branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

And additional medical devices were purchased to help facilitate discharge and enable patients to be cared for in their own homes.

The charity supplied unique red-heather-colour polo shirts for the new team of Family Liaison Officers (FLOs), appointed by Hywel Dda University Health Board to make sure there was a vital link between patients and their family and friends.

The FLOs were a tremendous asset, for the most elderly and vulnerable patients in particular, many of whom arrived in hospital by ambulance with only the clothes they were wearing, with no pyjamas or any way of contacting their relatives.

There are more than 250 NHS charities across the UK, focused on helping our health service do more. Collectively these charities give £1m every day to the NHS so that people can stay well for longer and get better faster.

In the Hywel Dda University Health Board area, it has been Hywel Dda Health Charities which has been working behind the scenes to raise and distribute vital funds above and beyond what the NHS can provide.

Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, Nicola Llewelyn, said the support for the local NHS during the pandemic had been phenomenal.

“The support of our local communities and NHS Charities Together is enabling us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive,” said Nicola.