Guy’s and St Thomas’ staff unite to help medics in Ukraine

Hundreds of items of medical supplies donated by Guy’s and St Thomas’ have successfully arrived in hospitals in Ukraine to support medics tending to injured soldiers and civilians.

Responding to calls for donations, Guy’s and St Thomas’ made part of their Supply Chain Hub in Dartford available for the Ukrainian Medical Association (UMA), while staff across different departments and disciplines volunteered to identify and package up much needed medical equipment, made up of donated and surplus items.

More than 150 pallets of supplies have been shipped to Ukrainian hospitals containing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and theatre gowns, as well as bandages, sutures, dressings, sanitisation materials and other essential items. For more than a month, staff based at different sites across the Trust have volunteered between shifts to work at the Supply Chain Hub.

David Lawson, Director of Procurement, said: “Like so many, I have been devastated by the scenes in Ukraine and was looking for ways I could help. When we were approached by the Ukrainian Medical Association, we quickly engaged the Supply Chain Hub. I was amazed when so many staff across different areas of the Trust came forward to give up their time to assist.

“The Supply Chain Hub was established before the pandemic and is a vital asset in storing and transporting necessary equipment to all of our different sites. It’s been great to see how we’ve been able to use the space to respond to requests from the UMA to get much needed supplies to the frontline in Ukraine.”

The formation of medical aid packages was led by specialist nurse Agnieszka Wypych-Zych and Dr Waqas Akhtar, chief registrar based at Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals. Agnieszka said “We were overwhelmed by the number of staff wanting to help despite the intense workload associated with the pandemic. We were incredibly proud of Guy’s and St Thomas’ for its leadership in helping others in their time of need.”

The supplies were then transported directly to hospitals in Ukraine via Poland thorough a network facilitated by Bianca Swalem, a former member of staff at Kings Health Partners. Bianca said: “We are absolutely thrilled that life-saving medical supplies are being used in hospitals across Ukraine within 48 hours of leaving the Dartford warehouse.”