13 November 2020

Staff rooms at Frimley Park and Wexham Park hospitals are being given a makeover thanks to generous charity donations from the local community.

The Frimley Health Charity renovation project will see many staff rooms and rest areas across the Trust upgraded to provide more comfortable communal facilities for thousands of hardworking staff.

The project, which is estimated to cost around £490,000, will start on 2 December with the rooms most in need taking priority. The makeover is part of Frimley Health’s wellbeing programme, focusing on improving the working environment to look after staff’s emotional health. Donations from the public given to Frimley Health Charity and NHS Charities Together to support staff during the first wave of covid will be used to fund much of the work.

A total of 38 rooms will be renovated in the initial 12 week programme, many with new kitchen facilities, furniture, lighting and flooring. Outdoor spaces at both Frimley Park and Wexham Park hospitals will also be upgraded with landscaped garden areas and fresh garden furniture. The spaces are being created to promote health and wellbeing and give staff time to relax during their busy shifts.

Over the past couple of months, the Trust’s Capital project team has worked alongside Frimley Health Charity to survey the current state of the rest rooms across the two acute hospitals. Many were identified as in need of development, with the planned changes varying from room to room, according to the condition of the space.

Neil Dardis, chief executive, Frimley Health Foundation Trust: “We are extremely proud of all of our staff and how hard they have worked during the pandemic. Now, it is more important than ever that we look after their wellbeing, by ensuring they take breaks and get the right amount of rest to be at their best for patients. By giving them a pleasant, comfortable space to relax in they can take some time for themselves away from the busy demands of their jobs

“We have thousands of staff working in the two hospitals and a lot of staff rooms which makes any renovation project a costly business for an NHS organisation. We are so grateful

for all of the charitable donations we have received, without the generosity of the local community we wouldn’t have been able to embark on such an ambitious, important programme that will bring many benefits our wonderful staff.”