Campaign to say thank you to Addenbrooke’s Hospital staff
A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to say thank you to Addenbrooke’s Hospital staff.
Sam Thorogood, from Great Shelford, is hoping to raise hundreds of pounds to produce public appreciation billboard posters to put up at locations close to the hospital.
Sam, of Tiny Pause, works with organisations including the NHS to share techniques to self manage stress, cope and recover more effectively.
He told the Cambridge Independent: “What I’ve noticed in Addenbrooke’s is the saving lives and the amazing work that staff do, just becomes normal.
“When I go in there I’m blown away by what they do in one shift, but this is just what they normally do.
“I wanted to make a point of public appreciation. Studies show very clearly that there are two things that make appreciation and gratitude more powerful. One is going public, so people see it and know other people think and feel it, and the second is it being personal.”
Sam explained that 14 years ago two of his children were born prematurely and went into intensive care at the hospital and over seven weeks the nurses and doctors saved the lives of mum and both children.
He said: “They took incredible care to support our family. If I thank them everyday for the rest of my life it won’t be enough.”
And while the campaign was launched before the coronavirus outbreak, its message is even more important.
Sam added: “I met a nurse recently who explained that no matter how hard she worked, how many nights, how many medications she administered, how many patients she cared for, it never felt like it was enough.
“She would go home thinking about all the things that needed doing. She was tired, stressed and overwhelmed. She’s not alone.
“Sometimes the problems of the world can seem so big, that we can feel powerless; how can I help fix the NHS? This project is an opportunity to do one small thing that can have a tangible difference.”
Tiny Pause will donate 100 places of the Mini Mindfulness course to Addenbrooke's nurses, doctors and support staff per billboard funded through the campaign. Each billboard will cost £420.
Sam explained that NHS data shows the main reason staff are absent from work is work-related stress – a total of one in three days of total staff absenteeism in 2018.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who is master at Magdalene College, added his support for the campaign.
He said: “In an institution as pressured and under-resourced as the NHS, it is a repeated miracle that its staff are so patient, warm and humane. My own recent experience of minor surgery left me with a strong sense of gratitude for all those who gave the process a really human face.
“We are so fortunate not only to have our NHS but to have people working in it who keep their humanity, humour and kindness alive in spite of all the many stresses they face every day.”
To support the campaign, visit crowdfunder.co.uk/appreciation-for-addenbrookes.
