M&S donates uniform to NHS Nightingale staff

Marks and Spencer (MKS.L) is donating thousands of specially branded T-shirts to form part of the uniform pack for the frontline team at the new NHS Nightingale hospital in London.

The T-shirts will bear the slogan “We are the NHS.”

M&S is also using its expertise as a clothing retailer to source, pack and deliver much needed individual clothing care packs as a donation to NHS Nightingale London to help provide comfort and dignity for discharged patients.

The care packs will be made for male and female patients, and will each contain a t-shirt, jumper, joggers, knickers or boxers and socks, and will be available in a range of sizes.

The temporary 4,000-bed hospital was built in just nine days at the ExCeL Centre in east London to treat coronavirus patients, and it will require up to 16,000 staff to keep it running.

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M&S has also announced it is donating over 4,000 sets of pyjamas to be used as scrubs to NHS Derbyshire, located close to their Castle Donington distribution centre.

From next week, M&S Food plan to start a new, free food delivery service twice a week for the NHS workers at M&S’s existing hospital partners at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

M&S plan to deliver nearly 5,000 prepared meals, sandwiches and treats every week for the next two months through the scheme.

The donations come as a response to suggestions from M&S employees on how the company can support the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic.

Steve Rowe, CEO of M&S, said: “We’re doing our bit to help the NHS by focussing on what we do best — providing great food and clothes — in the hope we can make it just a little easier for our NHS heroes to do what they do best, as well as the patients in their care.

“We get through these challenging times by pulling together and it’s been truly humbling to read the suggestions that have been pouring in from colleagues and customers alike with ideas for how we can help those on the NHS frontline.

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“At a time when everyone is facing into personal challenges and our own frontline colleagues are working round the clock — it’s heartening to see the whole nation is getting behind the fantastic NHS teams we’re relying on right now. We really are all in this together and I’m delighted we have been able to turn some of those ideas into action.”

Natalie Forrest, chief operating officer at NHS Nightingale London said: “These packs will ensure real dignity for our patients and make the nurses very proud to be able to provide such an amazing level of care.”