NHS is 72: Basingstoke community shares messages of thanks to healthcare workers

I’d like to leave a message in the paper for the NHS health visiting team. Our health visitor, Fran, has been so lovely and helped us with so much during some.very difficult times in the last two years. We have finally been discharged from the early help hub and we can’t thank our health visitors enough for the amazing work they do.

Also the midwives at Basingstoke hospital are worth their weight in gold. Particularly the midwife who delivered my daughter in 2017! I will never forget how well she looked after us both while I had an extended stay in hospital.

Belinda Copeman

A huge thank you to everyone in the NHS for your selfless work over the past few months - from those in our hospitals to those in our surgeries and pharmacies, from those in ambulances to those at testing centres; from those on the front line caring tirelessly for the most poorly of patients to those working hard behind the scenes to make sure that everything is running smoothly. Whatever your role and whatever your place of work, you’ve made a huge difference to tens of thousands of lives in our town and made us all incredibly proud.

You are Basingstoke at its best and fully deserve all of our gratitude.

Andy Konieczko

I would like to say a BIG thank you to Rosie Gook, Becki Hasted, Dee Alston, Cheryl Oxenholm, Natalie Levers, and all the other NHS staff for working so hard during these tough times at the moment.

Paul Hurrell

I would like to thank all carers, including the ones not working for the NHS. There are such incredibly hard-working people at Heather House. What they [NHS staff] need is a pay rise, less hours in a shift and more support from the government. Not clapping. The government is an embarrassment.

Wieteke Cornelia

I would love to thank all the students nurses that have stepped up and got stuck in. Fabulous job by Megan Louise, Penelope Garcia’s daughter Izzy Goodhew.

Sally Nash

I would like to say a massive thank you to all the staff and surgeons especially Mr Dayal and Vicki at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital who looked after me whilst undergoing peritoneal malignancy surgery in March.

Shell Davey

I would like to thank my son’s community nurse Carol Wadeson.

Without her, I don’t feel I could cope with having a child with complex medical needs. She’s a treasure, always there to reassure and help. You know if Carol is working, it will get done as she will chase. Whatever is she needed, she will get it sorted. She is a diamond.

Lauren Ritchie Freitas

I wanted to write a thank you to the NHS for caring for our grandmother during the pandemic and ensuring she wasn’t alone or upset as she was in hospital for the one year anniversary of her daughter’s passing (our mother). They are brilliant and deserve so much more.

I also want to say thank you to the nurse that held my friend’s hand and comforted him in his final moments. God bless.

Robyn Louise

I would like to thank Megan Louise, my grandson’s girlfriend who is a student nurse.

Rose Nash

I would love to say a massive thank you to all NHS staff, but especially to Sammy Chandler and her fiancé Steve Brown, who when put on to furlough, put himself forward to volunteer to move NHS equipment and also volunteered full time working in IT for the NHS. He totally stepped up when needed the most.

Victoria Chandler-Hobden

I would like to say thank you to the NHS staff as I was in twice within three weeks with eight-day stay each time. Nothing was to much trouble. They kept me out of pain. Anything I needed, they would help. They were all always rushing around and were very busy. They were always understaffed there deserve more pay.

Mary Ellen phillip

Hello, my name is Abi Duke. Just a little a little message to say thanks. Basingstoke Hospital has been looking after my step-dad for almost 2 years now as he is very poorly but during lockdown he suffered a heart attack and they looked after him so well and gave us piece of mind that he was in a safe place despite the global pandemic. The hospital was caring for a lot of patients suffering from Covid-19.

Also thanks to Basingstoke Dialysis Unit who look after him three times a week and who have kept putting themselves at risk to keep patients treatments going. They are all amazing and deserve so much respect and acknowledgement for what they have been through the last few months.

Abi Duke

I am a carer at Newman court Brighton hill. I'd just like to say thank you to all the lovely ladies I work with and say we are all doing an amazing job. Well done ladies!

Wendy Doble

As we celebrate the NHS’s 72nd birthday this weekend, I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who works, past, present or future, for our amazing health service.

The NHS has played a massive role in my life. After I suffered a double fracture to my leg at the age of 13, I was taken to hospital and put in a plaster cast waiting for the swelling to go down before surgeons could operate to repair it. It was a quick thinking nurse at 4am one night who cut the cast open, after compartment syndrome set in and the cast restricted my leg from swelling. It probably saved my leg from being amputated. I don’t know her name, but I will always be thankful to her.

And eight years on as I still recover from that injury, the NHS are continuing to support me as I live with Ulcerative Colitis, an invisible illness caused by stress and most likely because of that incident. The support they have given me over the years has been second to none, and I don’t know where I would be without them.

The coronavirus pandemic has put them in the spotlight, showing us just how much they give up for their job. Thank you to each and every one of you.

Ryan Evans, Reporter

I am a care manager for Caremark and I would like to say a huge thank you to all my care team for the dedication and support that has been given to all of our clients in the community.

Kirsty Nash

On behalf of myself and Shellie Claire Seymour, we would like to say a massive thank you to the whole team at Caremark. I cant even begin to express my gratitude to them all for making such a difficult time that bit more easier for my family. Their care and kindness is something we will remember forever.

Amy Seymour

I would like to say a huge thank you to our wonderful NHS who have done so much but especially for saving my son’s life when his appendix burst when he was just three years old. Am always very grateful to them all.

Carrie Hubbard-Bateman

Thank you to all the wonderful team at Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust, and to all carers and key workers who have gone above and beyond and have made such a difference to so many people’s lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. Every one is a hero.

Mark Jones

A huge thank you on this NHS Day of Thanks. Thank you to the amazing HHFT staff who have done so much to provide compassionate, outstanding care for our patients.

Thank you to all the key workers who have kept the schools open for our children, the shops stocked for our homes and the bins emptied.

Thank you to our communities who have supported us in so many ways.

Thank you.

Alex Whitfield, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals

Our NHS is an enormous team effort to deliver services in hospitals, health centres, ambulances and peoples homes. Delivering healthcare where ever and when ever it is needed.

I'm sure I am not alone having had every member of my family's life saved by the NHS at one time or another.

Thank you to every single person who has helped make this happen since 1948."

Cllr Simon Bound

I would like to thank all the staff who work in the Cohen’s Chemists, at Essex House - my place of work - for working so hard, without any extra help, and for going the extra mile during the beginning, and following weeks of Covid-19. Also thanks to all the Community Pharmacies in Basingstoke and surrounding areas for all their hard work throughout this Covid-19, whilst under extreme pressure with the surge of prescribing. I’m sure they’ve all had the same struggles that we had. And considering having had very little recognition from the Government for all our efforts.

When GP Surgeries have been able to close their doors, we have always been available to help and advise our patients, and have done our best to get patients medications to them, with the help of our drivers and also with the help of volunteers.(many thanks to them too)

We shall as always continue to make sure we are available to our patients and customers whatever happens in the future.

Thank you also to our patients and customers for being so understanding while all the madness was going on, we did and still do appreciate your patience. Stay safe everyone.

Lottie Dickenson

The NHS is a an incredible service that is there for us all, whenever we need it. On its 72nd birthday, we say thank you to each and every employee - including the wonderful teams at Hampshire Hospitals.

We would also like to say a huge thank you to all key workers, hospital staff, retail employees, refuge collectors, ambulance drivers and any other professions who have been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic for the good of the community.

Basingstoke Gazette