Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is playing a central role in responding to the COVID 19 outbreak across our communities. The hospitals are now preparing for a significant increase in patients needing support on their intensive care units over the coming weeks, including at our local hospital West Middlesex. Plans include accelerating the opening of 10 new Intensive Care beds, embedding new digital solutions to monitor and communicate with patients and carers, providing enhanced training for staff and deploying a skilled volunteer workforce to support the needs of both patients and staff.

In response to this and in consultation with clinicians and managers across the hospitals, they have launched the COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund to help their staff provide the best possible care for these patients. The fund is designed to accelerate and increase their intensive care bed capacity and provide support for frontline staff at a time of unprecedented demand on their services.

The COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund will support the hospitals in three key areas:

NEW EQUIPMENT

I ncluding scanners, blood gas machines and patient vital-sign monitors

NEW TECHNOLOGY

Including remote monitoring devices, digital consultation tools and tablets

SUPPORT FOR FRONTLINE STAFF

Including the creation and establishment of Health and Wellbeing hubs at their hospitals to provide respite, information and refreshment for their teams; and the recruitment and deployment of a specialist volunteer workforce to support staff and patients on their wards and across the organisation.