Head to Toe Christmas presents for patients in the community
Hundreds of surprise gifts wrapped by staff at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust and supporters of its Head to Toe charity were given to patients this Christmas.
The presents were delivered by the Trust’s community nurses who visited their elderly patients over the festive period.
A special event where more than 300 presents were individually wrapped was organised by the Head to Toe team at the Trust’s Resource Centre at Fulbourn Hospital.
Fundraising manager Alex Gordon said: “Thanks to donations from our caring and engaged community, we have been able to run this initiative for the last three years, and it’s something we are really proud of.
“We have had great feedback from our community nursing teams and especially from the patients who have received a present. It’s only a small gift, but if it helps to brighten a patient’s day, then it makes it all worthwhile.
“I would really like to thank you everyone who came along to help especially those who have fundraised for us over the last 12 months. We invited them to join our colleagues and many of them spent several hours helping us right until the last present was wrapped.”
CPFT’s community nurses, who provide physical healthcare to people over the age of 65 and others with long-term conditions, were as busy as ever over the festive period, criss-crossing Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to see patients in their own homes.
Isobel Wilkerson, Associate Director of Nursing and Quality for the Trust’s Older People and Adult directorate, said: “Our nurses are there to care for people every day of the year – even on Christmas Day they will be visiting patients.
“We recognise that for some people, our nurses might be the only visitor they get so it’s really nice to be able to give them a gift and show them that someone is thinking of them over the festive period. Thank you to Head to Toe and all those who donated.”
At the wrapping event, carols were performed by the Trust’s music therapy team.
You can donate to projects like this, here.
CPFT employs more than 4,700 staff who provide community physical healthcare for older people and those with long-term conditions, mental healthcare for adults and young people, eating disorder services in Norfolk, health visiting and school nursing in Peterborough, social care services and learning disability support. The Trust is also renowned for its research work.