Brand new staff lounges open their doors to hospital heroes

Brand new staff lounges open their doors to hospital heroes

04 July 2022

Brand new staff lounges open their doors to hospital heroes
Hard-working hospital staff will be able to relax and unwind in two brand new lounge areas as part of a £1.2m improvement programme funded by Imperial Health Charity.

The new spaces – set up exclusively for NHS staff to enjoy - are now open at Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals, with plans to develop a third lounge at St Mary’s later this year.

Designed by interior design specialists Taylor Howes, the lounges offer a calm, quiet and relaxing space where staff can take a break, enjoy a bite to eat or spend time with colleagues.

The lounges are part of a major programme of improvements to staff facilities at our hospitals in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since April 2021 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has completed over 80 upgrade projects, including three fully refurbished breakrooms and improvements to dozens of staff changing areas, showers, toilets and kitchen facilities.

Imperial Health Charity awarded a grant of £1.7m to support the Trust’s Covid-19 legacy programme in 2020, thanks to the many generous donations we received towards our Covid-19 Relief Fund at the peak of the pandemic.

Around £1.2m has been spent on these improvements to staff facilities, with the remaining funds put towards an expanded counselling service to support staff mental health and wellbeing.

“We hope these fantastic new lounge areas will offer a quiet and calming space for our NHS colleagues to rest and reflect”

Ian Lush, Chief Executive of Imperial Health Charity

Professor Tim Orchard, Chief Executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve reached another stage in our staff support programme and that these spaces are now open for our staff to relax and re-energise.

“I would like to thank our staff who were involved in developing the lounges, Taylor Howes – who have given all of their time for free – Imperial Health Charity and our many generous donors and supporters who have helped to make these spaces happen for our staff.”

Ian Lush, Chief Executive of Imperial Health Charity, said: “At every step of the Covid-19 response, we’ve been proud to support our extraordinary NHS staff who have made an enormous personal contribution to maintain patient care during a period of unprecedented pressure on our hospitals.

“We hope these fantastic new lounge areas will offer a quiet and calming space for our NHS colleagues to rest and reflect, serving as a lasting legacy to their tireless efforts throughout the pandemic.”

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The new lounges are situated within the restaurant areas at Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals but are exclusively for staff use. They were created by Taylor Howes with input from NHS staff and further support through a design competition with local college KLC.

To help our hospitals respond to the pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic, we awarded a total of £3.1m to fund a range of projects to support staff and patients. You can read more about how our support has made a difference in our Impact Report 2020/21.