Support for the people of Medway

Hug Your Hospital Appeal

Citizens Advice Medway has teamed up with key partners to launch the “Hug Your Hospital" appeal to encourage and enable the residents of Medway to show how much they care about their local hospital.

Our Citizens Advice Medway team worked continuously hard during this COVID-19 pandemic and helped hundreds of residents daily. Due to our ongoing partnerships, we were able to support the Critical Care Team at Medway Hospital with essential items and treats.

The League of Friends team continues to be a helpful hand for the incredible NHS staff working in the Medway Foundation Trust. This team is invaluable and raises money through the Medway Hospital Charity’s appeal. Unlike other appeals, the League of Friends appeal focuses its efforts on supporting the health and wellbeing of clinical and non-clinical staff who are hailed by the local community as “hospital heroes.”

To register your support for the ‘Hug Your Hospital’ appeal, please call 01634 383 760.

These are difficult times for us all but none more so than for those NHS Nursing heroes on the frontline saving people’s lives. This appeal is a chance for all those residents who show their support and clap every Thursday evening to do something more permanent. This appeal is not about money, it is about support, a virtual hug. A chance for the whole community to wrap their arms around our local hospital and react with goodwill and kindness when a request for help comes in. This could start with little things like pizzas, drinks, and snacks to provide quick and easy refreshments for teams working in extraordinary circumstances. It could be pamper and comfort packs to help nurses daily whilst on duties in their wards. Just imagine how great it would be to have a list of residents and companies willing to donate their time, expertise, services, or items whenever needed. Imagine being able to call on a local Tradesman to help with a sensory garden or to install a rest area for the hardworking NHS staff. We not only want to show our support whilst they are working in the hospital but also whilst they are living in our communities. We can go that step further if someone is struggling and ensure support is immediately available. I don’t want to see our NHS Heroes struggling to buy food whilst trying to afford their living accommodation or pay bills. Going forward there is going to be much that we all need to do. I hope you will be able to help in this mission, not just for a few months until this pandemic disappears, but more permanently in tribute to our NHS Staff. Not only for nurses but all those heroes connected with the hospital. For example, our amazing Ambulance crews, without the critical services wouldn’t be able to function. From cradle to grave, the NHS, and the incredible professionals who work in hospitals, GP surgeries, clinics, care homes, and more, are a part of British life. But in the context of the extraordinary circumstances we now find ourselves living in because of the coronavirus outbreak, what they’re doing is superhuman, and we’ve never needed them more. It’s time to say thanks and register your HUG!
Dan McDonald
Chief Executive Officer
We are so proud of our dedicated staff who are showing real resilience in helping us to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. Not only are they providing the best of care to those who most need it at this time, but many staff are away from their own families and working long hours in difficult circumstances, so they can be there for us all. The ‘HUG YOUR HOSPITAL’ appeal is a fantastic idea – support like this means a huge amount to our amazing staff.
James Devine
Chief Executive of Medway Foundation Trust
We want to send the wonderful team at Medway Maritime Hospital a big hug to show our appreciation. We know they’re all giving us the best possible care, not just during this outbreak but every day. We’re very lucky to have such a dedicated and professional team caring for the people of Medway. We hope everyone working in the hospital and other health and social care settings, in all positions, know that they have the total support and respect of the whole community – everyone is behind you and we thank you for what you’re doing.
Ashley Hook
Chief Executive of MHS Homes
The HUG YOUR HOSPITAL appeal is something we should all be prepared to support. At this time of national crisis, we have seen the best of people, none more so than the nursing and other staff at Medway Maritime Hospital who daily, hour by hour, risk their health to support those in most need. It is not just the physical health of these staff that needs to be considered, but their mental health too. It is difficult to imagine the strain these staff are subjected to as they fight to save lives and return people to their communities’ fit and healthy in preparation for the rest of their lives. HUG YOUR HOSPITAL and support the heroic efforts of the staff that works there every day to keep us fit and safe.
Cllr Alan Jarrett
Leader of Medway Council
Our brilliant community of Medway is truly a place of compassion. In these unprecedented times, the hard-working NHS staff deserve that compassion. The "Hug Your Hospital" initiative being launched by Dan McDonald at Citizens Advice Medway and supported by many in the community will be a tangible, practical way for people to show that compassion to the women and men working 24/7 for us all.
Cllr Vince Maple
Opposition Leader

Our supporters

Our partners

Our use of cookies

We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We'd also like to set analytics cookies that help us make improvements by measuring how you use the site. These will be set only if you accept.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our Cookies page. Cookie Control Link Icon


Necessary cookies

Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.