Five years on from the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the Prince of Wales paid a visit to the Royal Berkshire Hospital—where the United Kingdom’s first patient died from COVID-19—to see how vital charity funds have been dispersed and used by the hospital.
William serves as joint patron of the NHS Charities Together with wife Catherine. The Trust was launched in the early days of the pandemic and swiftly raised £162 million to be used amongst the NHS hospital trusts in the UK. The funds were earmarked for supporting the medical staff, patients and communities throughout the pandemic.
At the Royal Berkshire Hospital, funds were used in part to build the Oasis Health and Wellbeing Centre and Garden and to establish a Long Covid Clinic. The Oasis Health and Wellbeing Centre and Garden features a green space for relaxation, a gym, and wellbeing classes, amongst other activities, to help staff with their health.
During his visit, William toured the Oasis Health and Wellbeing Centre and said, “I’m so pleased that this is so positive after everything that you have all experienced. You all are doing your respective parts within the mental health support as well as the frontline stuff that you have been doing and that’s wonderful.”
The future king also met with staff, some of whom had worked on the frontlines during the worst days of the pandemic. He said: “Everyone in the NHS is there to care for others, so the last person who gets looked after is the individual. And I’ve seen when I’ve worked with doctors and nurses, when I’ve worked with paramedics, they always put it down the line because they don’t want to put their workload on someone else.
“For me, looking into the nation’s mental health over the last few years, unless there’s almost enforced breaks in someone’s career, as part of your career development, we’re never going to get to that point where you can look after their mental health because you always rely on the individual to put their hand up.”
The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust posted on their social media: “We were proud to welcome HRH The Prince of Wales to Royal Berkshire Hospital today on the fifth anniversary of the Covid pandemic.
“HRH met with some of the teams most impacted by the pandemic, and toured our dedicated staff health and wellbeing centre. Opened several years ago, the centre which contains gyms, quiet rooms, a lounge, kitchen and changing facilities has had a huge impact for colleagues across the Trust.”
Over on the Kensington Palace social media channels, William wrote: “A heartening visit to Royal Berkshire Hospital to see firsthand the lasting impact of NHS Charities Together’s support over the past five years. Remembering all the staff who lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic and thanking all those who continue to take care of us.
“It’s an honour to be joint Patron for @NHSCharities 💙”
