Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity launch 'Rainbow Day' to celebrate local healthcare workers

Six months on from the last ‘Clap for Carers’, Nightingale’s Rainbow Appeal is asking everyone to wear their brightest and most colourful outfits for the day to highlight their support for those working in healthcare across Buckinghamshire.

“Covid-19 has made this a very tough and unpredictable year for everyone and, through it all, healthcare workers in our community have continued to provide care

and support to patients and their families,” says Bonnie Doe from the Appeal.

“We want to take a moment to say ‘we haven’t forgotten about you and we recognise your ongoing effort and commitment to caring for those who need it, however hard it might be.’ This is an opportunity to thank all healthcare workers - those who have been on the frontline of caring for Covid-19 patients, those who have had to adapt to delivering care and support from behind PPE and those who are working intensively through waiting lists and a backlog of patients.”

The team at Florence Nightingale Hospice are just one of those who have seen changes in how they are able to deliver care.

“Suddenly we had to do palliative care and end of life care through a mask, gloves and a pinny,” says Liz Monaghan, Matron at the Hospice.

“A lot of our work is done by recognising facial expressions, the use of touch…and all those things changed. Having to tell someone that their dad was dying, either over a phone or with a mask on, in twenty-eight years of palliative care, I’ve never had to do that, never had to hold someone’s hand in just a glove.”

As Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Chief Executive, Neil Macdonald says: “This year has been the one of the hardest in NHS history and the demand on our staff and services has increased dramatically.”

Nightingale’s Rainbow Day will take place on Thursday 3rd December and everyone is asked to wear their brightest and most colourful outfits to work, at home, out

shopping – wherever you are – to show support for Buckinghamshire’s healthcare

workers.

You do not have to raise money to take part but any money raised for the Nightingale’s Rainbow Appeal will be shared between Buckinghamshire NHS Trust Charitable Fund and Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity.

Find out more at www.fnhospice.org.uk/ nightingales-rainbowhttp://www.fnhospice.org.uk/ nightingales-rainbow