NHS staff bring joy of Christmas to patients' bedside

Dedicated staff across Guy’s and St Thomas’ will be bringing festive cheer to the bedside of more than a thousand patients who can’t be at home this Christmas.

Thanks to the generous supporters of Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity, a special menu for lunch and dinner will be served on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day – totalling around 7,200 meals.

As well as a traditional lunch with all the trimmings on Christmas Day, around 1,200 patients will receive fresh orange juice and croissants for breakfast, afternoon tea with Christmas cake and an individual buffet box. Staff working on Christmas Day will also receive a free breakfast, lunch and Christmas cake.

Marcel Dueren, catering central production manager at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “Our catering teams have been quietly beavering away behind the scenes for the last two months in preparation for the big day.

"Nobody wants to be in hospital during the festive season so we want it to be as enjoyable as it can be. We’re also taking special care of our youngest patients at Evelina London Children’s Hospital by providing smaller portions of lunch and buffet boxes, and have arranged for meals to go out to various community sites.”

Around 1,600 gifts – mainly toiletry sets – will be delivered by staff to patients in hospital and those housebound in the community, thanks to funding from Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity. The charity has also provided 17 decorated Christmas trees which are on display around the Trust.

Around 150 children and young people being cared for by Evelina London in hospital and in the community will receive a gift, thanks to support from Evelina London Children’s Charity.

Kieron Boyle, Chief Executive of Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity, said: "It is our great pleasure to be able to bring a little joy and comfort to patients at this special time of year. All year round, and throughout the pandemic, the dedicated staff across Guy's and St Thomas' have provided exceptional care for this amazing community of ours. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we hope that the festive season might be that little bit brighter too."

Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity is part of Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation, which includes Guy’s Cancer Charity and Evelina London Children’s Charity.

What goes into 1,200 portions of traditional Christmas lunch?

• 180kg of turkey
• 80kg of mashed potatoes
• 110kg of roasted potatoes
• 88kg of Brussel’s sprouts
• 35kg of cranberry sauce

Around 150 vegetarian portions of lunch will be served, which includes rich butternut squash, spinach and roasted winter vegetables with herb pastry top.