SARAH, Duchess of York, in the first project for her new charity Sarah’s Trust, has mobilised an ongoing national response to benefit tens of thousands of NHS, care home and hospice staff.

The support is focused on aiding frontline workers in the coronavirus pandemic by connecting suppliers of both essential and luxury goods to hospitals, care communities and hospices at the forefront of managing the UK’s response. This has enabled NHS staff to have easy access to both necessities and the occasional indulgence whilst being able to keep their priority on their patients.

Through an extensive network of contacts both in the commercial and medical sectors, a potential donating organisation was identified and approached. The organisation could decide where they would like their care package items to be donated, or Sarah’s Trust made a recommendation if preferred. Once a recipient was established a safe delivery, abiding by all necessary social distancing measures outlined by the UK Government, was facilitated.

As well as connecting donors with health organisations, the Duchess and her daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have personally funded and donated hundreds of items.

The effort has extended to 12 hospitals in London including Hammersmith, King’s College, Hillingdon Uxbridge, Evelina Children’s, St Mary’s Paddington, Kings Cross, Queen Mary’s Roehampton, St George’s Tooting, Royal Marsden as well as local GPs and NHS Hospital Trusts’ community centres. Nationwide support has been directed to Scotland – Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital, primary schools in Kemnay - and support has been given to Morrington Hospital in Swansea. Care packages and donations have gone to The Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, York Hospital, St James’s Hospital, Leeds, Broughton House in Manchester, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Stoke Mandeville and MacIntyre care homes in the Milton Keynes area.