1 minute read
Legacy of lasting Community Support
Two new initiatives have launched at Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that showcase the overwhelming support received from communities in West Sussex during the pandemic period, seeding a legacy of lasting support for the hospitals.
Advertisement
The twinning scheme pairs local schools and community groups with a specific ward or department. During the pandemic period, hundreds of rainbow pictures and messages of support were sent in to patients who could not receive visitors due to Covid-19 restrictions.
As most of the wards at Worthing Hospital and St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester are named after communities in Sussex, in many cases, they are being twinned with those who share their name. For instance, Durrington High School in Worthing is proudly twinning with Durrington ward.
Chris Woodcock, Headteacher, Durrington High School, said: “Kindness is one of our core values at Durrington High School and we encourage students to give back to the community. Our students have really enjoyed getting creative and sharing messages to patients and staff on Durrington Ward. We’re excited to see how this partnership flourishes.”
Pauline Cheeseman, Durrington Ward Matron, said: “We’re delighted to be twinned with Durrington High School and look forward to seeing how this partnership develops in the
future. We love the idea of engaging local students and building a sense of community.”
In the future, it is hoped twinning could support recruitment, volunteering, work experience, fundraising, community engagement and many other as yet unknown benefits.
To find out more and get your school, parish or community involved in the twinning scheme, please contact wshnt.comms@nhs.net.
Alongside the twinning scheme, the trust is asking communities to send in pictures of their pandemic tributes to feature on permanent murals on the walls of Southlands, Worthing and St Richard’s hospitals.
