COVID-19 five years on – how funds raised for NHS are making a difference in Wales

COVID-19 five years on: What happened to record-breaking funds raised for NHS during lockdown – and what difference has it made in Wales? 

Wednesday 26 March 2025 marks five years since the nation went into lockdown – it was also the same week NHS Charities Together launched their record breaking* COVID-19 Urgent Appeal, raising £162 million. But as new research¹ shows almost two in three (65%) UK adults surveyed feel the COVID-19 pandemic changed the NHS forever – how has this money been used? And what impact is it having for staff, patients, and communities in Wales?

The COVID-19 Urgent Appeal was launched to support hospital staff and volunteers, patients, and the local community, and created thousands of projects around the UK. This includes funding Hywel Dda Health Charities to promote community cohesion and boost vaccine uptake among racially minoritised groups, by sharing health messages through outreach projects across three counties in West and South West Wales.

Thanks to the generosity of thousands of people, over £162 million was raised. Funds have been distributed to every NHS trust and health board charity to tackle problems created or worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. As well as addressing urgent and immediate healthcare needs, this included providing over a million NHS staff – two thirds of the workforce – with counselling, rest areas and other support, and helping more than 600,000 patients access better care.

Working with the network of over 230 NHS charities around the UK, NHS Charities Together has also provided training and equipment for thousands of life-saving community first responder volunteers, and funded projects in the community to help people stay well and reduce pressure on the NHS. 98% of NHS charities surveyed who received funds from the Urgent Appeal felt that the Urgent and Emergency Grants have had a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of NHS staff, patients, volunteers or other beneficiary groups.

While a full Impact Report on the Covid-19 Urgent Appeal is expected at the end of this year, data reported by NHS charities to date indicates at least a hundred projects have been created in Wales as a result. One example is an outreach project, funded through Hywel Dda Health Charities, where funds were used to respond to the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on racially minoritised groups, and tackle inequalities in access to healthcare in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

The outreach project has reached more than 10,000 people through initiatives such as Wellbeing Walks, which promote community cohesion, encourage exercise, and provide an opportunity to share health messages. The outreach programme also helped increase uptake of Covid-19 vaccination among individuals from racially minoritised groups and improved access to healthcare services and communication support. The project improved connections with groups the NHS can find harder to reach and increased visibility of service providers in the community.

Sandra Mitchell, Community Development Outreach Team Manager at Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “The COVID-19 Urgent Appeal funding has had a positive and continuing impact on the wellbeing of diverse communities and vulnerable groups across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

“What worked so well is that the project provided opportunities to engage with communities and bring people together to talk about their health and wellbeing, and to learn more about the support local NHS services can provide. The project created important connections which will help us share health messages and promote wellbeing.”

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together, said: “Despite the whole nation struggling to deal with the impact of the pandemic – whether that was losing loved ones, adjusting to new ways of working or dealing with the psychological impact of increased restrictions to freedom, it was heartening to see such huge generosity from so many people, who collectively raised over £160 million. Five years on, the impact of that funding is still making a difference to patients, communities and NHS staff – including right here in Wales.

“Projects have done everything from creating community-based opportunities to deal with the mental health crisis, and addressing issues related to health inequalities, to providing professional support to help NHS staff cope better with the demands of their roles. We are so grateful to every single person who contributed, and continue to strive for a future with a thriving NHS and the best possible healthcare for everyone.”

A full Impact Report on the Covid-19 Urgent Appeal is expected to be available at the end of this year. For more information about how you can support the work of NHS Charities Together, visit www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk

 *NHS Charities Together’s 2020 COVID-19 Urgent Appeal broke the record for the amount raised by a UK fundraising appeal, although this record has since been surpassed.