John Lewis Partnership helps NHS workers fighting coronavirus

The John Lewis Partnership is installing a wellbeing area for medical staff and volunteers at the Nightingale NHS Hospital, London.

Composer, Alejandro Bonatto, has created a playlist to help staff unwind in one of three zones. Sharon White, Partner & Chairman, John Lewis Partnership, says: “We salute the courage and humanity of every NHS worker fighting this awful virus. We are exceptionally lucky to have an amazing health service open to all.”

“As a small token, we’re making it easier for NHS workers to shop in Waitrose and we’re helping staff at the new Nightingale Hospital in London. We will do more over the coming weeks.”

The John Lewis Partnership has also partnered with the British Medical Association (BMA) to distribute care packages for frontline NHS workers at the busiest hospitals across the UK. From today, the retailer will start making 400 deliveries of essential items, including toiletries and tea and coffee.

Nightingale London and the main London NHS Trusts will be the first to receive the packages. Over the next few weeks, these boxes will be delivered to acute hospital trusts in the UK for distribution to high intensity clinical areas such as Critical Care and Intensive Care units.

Finally, the John Lewis Partnership is accommodating on-call NHS key workers on its Leckford Estate in Hampshire. The Partnership Hotels team is hosting those staff who need to be near a hospital in lodges which are usually used as holiday homes for Partners.

Twelve lodges have been available to the Hampshire NHS Trust, which can accommodate 29 people - each with their own bedroom. The NHS staff are primarily key workers at The Royal County Hampshire Hospital in Winchester.