Staff working in COVID positive areas of the hospital often have nowhere to go to ‘decompress’ on breaks or after facing a particularly upsetting situation. Thanks to generous funding of £200,000 received from The ALBORADA Trust, Addenbrooke’s charity – Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) – has been able to create much-needed well-being rooms – peaceful spaces where staff can reflect, relax and de-stress.
An underused seminar room has now been completely transformed into a welcoming, calming area for staff with comfy seating and dimmable lighting, and is the first of three such rooms that will be available for staff to use.
Not only does this space provide a quiet, accessible area for staff to take their breaks, it will also be used to hold trauma and tension release classes, allowing staff to unwind after the intense pressure they have faced over the last few months.
Jeremy Richardson, Director of the ALBORADA Trust, said: “In April, we asked Addenbrooke’s to approach doctors and nurses in ICU to ask them for their particularly urgent needs. It was as a result of that approach that the well-being rooms came about and my trustees were pleased to provide immediate funds for this, in addition to the other help which the Trust has given for the amazing NHS staff at Addenbrooke’s.”
Shelly Thake, CEO of ACT who oversaw the work, said: “We can’t thank The ALBORADA Trust enough for their generosity in providing our hospital staff with such a peaceful retreat in which to take their breaks. Doubling up the space to use for stress-release classes will also ensure that staff can tackle any stress before it becomes a problem, providing more than just a quick fix.”