Young people with mental health issues will have improved facilities at the Lister Hospital to help their needs, thanks to the latest donation from a long-term charity supporter.

Online grocery retailer Ocado has donated a phenomenal £21,000 for our SafeSpace appeal, which was backed by its Hatfield-based service delivery team.

The money will help create a private room in the emergency department where children can go if they are feeling frightened or anxious.

Other parts of the SafeSpace project Ocado is helping to fund is the refurbishment of a ‘teen corridor’ to offer age appropriate waiting time distractions, and two sensory medical equipment trolleys for young patients with learning disabilities.

Ocado has supported the East and North Hertfordshire Hospitals’ Charity for a number of years, including donations to our Magic of Play appeal and the delivery of Easter eggs and Christmas presents to young patients.

Head of Charity Beth McNeil said: “The staff at Ocado are such incredible people with huge hearts and we feel proud to work in partnership with them.

“I’d particularly like to thank Julie Goodyear and Dave Owen from Ocado, for championing us and rallying colleagues to help our hospital team and patients.”

Talking about how SafeSpace was of particular need now due to lockdown and ongoing coronavirus restrictions, Beth added: “We’ve experienced a surge of referrals of children and young people whose mental health has been affected due to COVID-19.

“By making our hospitals a nicer environment with access to support, information and top-of-the-range equipment, we hope to prevent re-admissions.”

* Ocado has featured its support for the young patients in our care in a feature on its website, including thank you notes from grateful East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust doctors and nurses. Click here to read it >