As part of the celebrations for National Pathology week, the pathology department at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) hosted a fundraising event for their charity partners, SERV Wessex.
SERV Wessex blood runners deliver blood products,urgent samples, and medication from hospital pharmacies, and offer invaluable support to HHFT.
To show their thanks, the pathology team hosted a bake sale for the riders, raising over £500.
Alex Whitfield, chief executive at the trust which runs hospitals in Andover, Basingstoke and Winchester, said: “The SERV riders are a group of amazing people who have worked closely with our trust for a long time. We are so happy to be able to host this bake sale to celebrate and raise money for the SERV charity – it's a small way of saying thank you for the vital service they provide that helps us to provide the best possible care to our patients.”
Robert Smith, chairman of SERV Wessex said: “We do a lot of work for Hampshire Hospitals, they’re a key part of the service we provide. So, it is really nice for them to do something to appreciate what we have done. We are just giving something back; we all want to give back to the NHS. We can provide our time and service for free, and it helps with patient care.”
National Pathology week, which we celebrated from 1 – 7 November to highlight the important contribution pathologists make to healthcare.
At Hampshire Hospitals, celebrating this week meant turning attention to a different area within pathology each day, including microbiology haematology, clinical biochemistry, and phlebotomy
Alex Whitfield added: “Each service in pathology plays an important role in keeping our hospitals running, and though it is often behind the scenes almost every patient journey will involve pathology at one time or another. We wanted to celebrate everything our amazing teams do every day and the difference they make to our patients as part of the week, alongside giving back to our charity partner”.
To find out more about SERV Wessex, visit https://servwessex.org.uk/.
