Airline staff’s first class service for NHS workers
Lounge access initiative for hard-working hospital carers
Airline workers have been giving NHS staff in Kent first class treatment at new chill-out spots in hospitals.
Furloughed or grounded cabin crew are volunteering their time to recreate first class lounges so doctors, nurses and care workers can relax and recharge between shifts at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW).
The initiative, involving crew from across every UK airline. has been named Project Wingman and sees NHS employees being served refreshments by airline workers in full uniform. MTW is the first trust in Kent offering the service with Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital among 35 hospitals in the UK where the project is currently operating.
The first drinks were poured at Tunbridge Wells Hospital on
Tuesday, May 5, followed by Maidstone Hospital a week later. Sevices are running from 7.30am to 7.30pm every day. One of the volunteers Captain Dave Fielding said: “It’s about using the skills aircrew have to spoil hospital staff and make them feel they’re special.
“They come off shift exhausted and weary and come into our lovely lounge and we pamper them, in the same way that passengers in first-class lounges at airports are used to being looked after.”
MTW director of workforce Simon Hart said: “We are so pleased our colleagues across the Trust are able to benefit from this special service and it is all thanks to the amazing volunteers at Project Wingman. “The cabin crews have a great understanding of what it is like to work in a high pressure environment and their presence and service is sure to raise many smiles amongst our hardworking, exceptional teams who have been going above and beyond during the Coronavirus pandemic.”