Giving back for NHS75
On Wednesday (July 5) a lunchtime party was held at the site of the new Forest of Dean Community Hospital as part of the NHS75 celebrations.
Main contractor on the project, Speller Metcalfe, wanted to do their bit to give back to staff from the Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust by celebrating the milestone birthday on their project site in Cinderford.
The builder’s invited members of staff to come down to enjoy a site tour, followed by a celebration buffet lunch, to say thank-you to the local NHS team who work so hard to support the Forest of Dean community.
Kate Harper, Matron of Dilke and Lydney Hospitals, said: “There’s a lot of anticipation around the new hospital, and obviously colleagues have a lot of questions! So it’s great for us to be able to look around – especially now the building is starting to take shape – and get a feel for where we’ll be working next year.
“It was a lovely gesture from Spellers to arrange a lunch and surprise prizes to round the visit off!”
The Speller Metcalfe team had invited subcontractors to donate some prizes for a free NHS75 prize draw. All the Trust’s staff based at Dilke or Lydney Hospitals – over 200 of them – were entered on the day with names drawn from a builder’s hard hat by the visitors.
The generous donations included a round of golf at The Belfry, £100 restaurant vouchers, a spa day for two, dining gift cards and a luxury hamper, with contributions from:
- Green Power Plant Hire
- Brandon Hire Station
- Portakabin
- Keyline
- Bradfords
- Sunbelt Rentals
- John Watson
Adrian Speller, technical director at Speller Metcalfe, said: “I’d be surprised to meet anyone who hasn’t needed the vital services that our NHS provide at some point in their lives – be it for friends, family or themselves.
“From the hospital porters to nurses and specialist clinicians to administration teams, they all play a fundamental part in keeping us all safe and healthy, and we want to show our support in some small way for the incredible work they do, day-in, day-out. A big thank you also goes to our suppliers who donated some fantastic prizes for the NHS staff raffle.”
Speller Metcalfe is currently on site building the new £26 million community hospital, which aims to expand and improve existing patient services across Cinderford and Lydney.
The scheme will incorporate a 24 bed, in-patient unit within the two-storey hospital, alongside provision for x-ray, dental and other key services and is due to complete in 2024.
