Care of the Elderly team clock up the miles to raise £5,000 for UHCW Forget Me Not Fund

Intrepid NHS workers have completed a series of challenges to raise more than £5,000 towards patient care.

Care of the Elderly staff at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, with support from friends and family, collected the cash for the UHCW Forget Me Not Fund.

The money will be used to upgrade rooms to make facilities more sympathetic to patients with delirium and dementia, including dementia-friendly clocks, games and activities.

Among the fundraising activities was a Wolf Run in Warwickshire where a 15-strong team of doctors, physiotherapists and Advanced Clinical Practitioners tackled a gruelling 10km course that included lake swims, mud pits, ditches, hills and dense foliage.

That was followed by a ‘memory marathon’ where 11 physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses and doctors walked 26 miles, with another nine joining at the halfway point.

The 11-hour adventure started and finished at The Millpool pub going via the Trust’s sites –the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby and University Hospital in Coventry – with stops in Brinklow and Coombe Abbey.

Dr Nikola Baty, Medical Lead for the Dementia and Delirium Team, said: “I am so very proud of the team.

“They go above and beyond for their patients every day and working with them as part of a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) is a true privilege.

“On the day of the marathon we had more than £1000 donated on our Justgiving page and each message was read out to keep our spirits high.

“Everybody pushed themselves on the walk, nobody gave up and we walked it as a team from the start to the very end.”

Among the marathon walkers was Physiotherapist Ellie Bradshaw, who also took part in the Starley Sportive 100km bike ride the next day and will be running the Coventry Half Marathon at the end of October.

UHCW Charity Director Jo O’Sullivan added: “Not only do these dedicated staff provide compassion and care every working day, in their spare time they are completing these tough challenges to raise funds to improve facilities for their dementia and delirium patients. They are amazing!”

Anyone who would like to donate can do so by clicking here.