Ickle Pickles awarded Blue Light Card Foundation grant

Ickle Pickles is delighted to have been awarded a grant of £4,086.80 from the Blue Light Card Foundation to support the neonatal team at Croydon University Hospital.

Established in 2022, the Blue Light Card Foundation was born out of the Blue Light Card - the UK’s largest discount provider for members of the NHS, emergency services, armed forces, and social sector. They fund life-enhancing projects and support organisations across the UK that run projects to positively impact the health and well-being of the Blue Light community. 

The Ickle Pickles grant will fund decoration, furniture and equipment for the refurbishment of two on-call doctors' rooms and the staff room at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Croydon Hospital as well as warm fleeces for neonatal staff.

Currently, the rooms for the neonatal team are in desperate need of refurbishment, with old armchairs and worn-out decor. The camp beds that the doctors use on their night shift are old, thin and very uncomfortable. These rooms provide the dedicated teams with access to a space away from the busy ward, where they should be able to recharge on their break. 

Ickle Pickles has worked closely with the team at the Croydon neonatal unit for several years. Together, we have established the positive impact that replacing furniture and a refurbishment will have on their mental and physical wellbeing.

Neonatal staff work long hours on shift, providing high levels of care and medical assistance in an often stressful environment. They should have their basic needs met to be able to perform to the best of their ability, providing vital care and support to the tiny patients and their families on the unit.

By providing staff and on-call doctor rooms that are fit for purpose with the necessary equipment and facilities on hand, the 60 medical and support staff who use these rooms will be able to take some time out from their busy shifts, to eat, rest and recharge.

This grant will positively impact dedicated neonatal staff and also babies and their families during difficult times.

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