Volunteer Dan believes ‘we rise by helping and lifting others’
2nd November 2020
Submitted by Ryan Watkins, Theatres, Wycombe Hospital ,Buckinghamshire NHS Trust
Dan Chacko is a Team Leader working for Bucks healthcare & based in High Wycombe theatres leading the plastics team. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, with all non-essential operations on hold, Dan and the Wycombe team have been re-deployed to help out in frontline Covid duties at Stoke Mandeville hospital theatres, ITU and AMU departments.
Aware of the importance of the wellbeing of the staff working in the acute care areas and with the mantra of “We ourselves rise by helping and lifting others” Dan came to learn that protecting and improving staff morale by helping lift their spirits would be paramount.
First he started by placing a massive banner in front of the hospital stating ‘NHS staff you all are heroes, thank you’ to lift the spirits of the staff. He then explored the local and national area for businesses that he could approach to help. Dan found an outpouring of support that he himself professed was ‘overwhelming’. What started as a “Mystery Pizza delivery” to colleagues that found themselves in isolation, (directly out of his own pocket) Dan found companies in the area that would help lift the spirits of those on shift by regularly sending pizza, Indian food and other treats to different departments.
A continued approach from the various companies and local community groups, passionate to support the front line staff and the thousands of Key workers in the fight against Covid, and with the importance of the safety of the staff paramount; the gifts of Pizzas, fruit kits, snack bars, soon became gifts of thousands of full face visors and the offer of surgical scrubs.
After liaising with the procurement team at Bucks Healthcare and ensuring that the hospitals had taken their share, Dan set about and continues to approach the care homes, surgeries and other care settings across Bucks, Beds and Oxfordshire offering his gifts.
Along with continuing with his full time job many care sectors across the county have benefited from the many miles he has driven to collect and deliver PPE.
Dan’s enormous contribution towards helping out during this pandemic should be recognised.