HOSPITAL staff on the Covid frontline have received hampers and messages of support from care home residents.

Staff from Castle View in Poundbury brought unopened toiletries and snacks to Dorset County Hospital along with heart-shaped notes of kindness and encouragement.

The idea of making donations to intensive care staff came from Helen Smith, Home Manager at another Colten Care home in Chichester.

Helen said: “Many intensive care staff have been experiencing added pressure, anxiety and fatigue during the pandemic.

“We have seen the extent of PPE that hospital teams have to wear at the moment and we know ourselves how difficult and uncomfortable it is to work in heavy PPE, especially on long shifts.

“We had a think about what we could do to make them feel a bit more supported. We thought some hampers and messages from our residents and team members, showing their heartfelt appreciation, was something that would go down well.”

Helen’s idea was taken up across the entire group of 21 Colten Care homes in the south, with each one gathering items for hospitals in the communities they serve.

Resident Pen Trinnick said: “This comes from the heart, from all of us to them. This project is a good way to show them the thanks they deserve. Their care for us is much needed and they need to take care of themselves as well.”

In a note of thanks, Simon Pearson, Head of Charity at Dorset County Hospital, said: “Your gifts will help to boost the morale of our staff and reinforce the important message that their local community is still thinking of them and appreciates the work they are doing under such difficult circumstances.”

Two different types of hamper have been delivered with permission of each hospital. One is a ‘pamper’ hamper, containing toiletries such as moisturisers, hand cream, body lotion, luxury soap and shower gel. This is to help intensive care staff when they are moisturising hands and faces or having a shower after a shift.

The other is a ‘munchies’ hamper, with goodies such as energy boosting snacks, granola bars and bags of nuts.

Each types of hamper includes written messages from residents, dubbed ‘Hearts of Kindness’.

In addition to items gathered by individual homes, the company's Ringwood head office has contributed £500 worth of toiletries and snacks to the initiative.