Military offer a morale boost at busy Nightingale hospital
MUSICIANS from the Royal Marines Band have been providing support on hospital wards to free up medics caring for Covid-19 patients – including at Exeter’s Nightingale Hospital.
A group of 42 members of the service band based at HMS Collingwood, Fareham, Hampshire, and Portsmouth Naval Base have been aiding frontline NHS staff at hospitals in Bournemouth, Dorset, and Bath, Somerset, as well as the Devon NHS Nightingale Hospital.
The musicians have also been boosting morale by providing musical performances on nonCovid wards.
Warrant Officer 2nd Class Trev Naughtonsaid: “Music delivers in a way only music can, lifting the spirits of both patients and staff alike. We are using our skills to provide some positive therapy amidst some very difficult times.”
Chantal Baker, assistant director of nursing at NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter, said: “The arrival of the military personnel has been timely and simply wonderful. They have lifted spirits in our team, brought another dynamic to the hospitals, and most of all, have an incredibly positive, can do attitude.
“We cannot thank them enough. “When they’re not supporting clinical duties or taking on family liaison roles, they can be found with our patients reading to them, playing games with them, or just simply chatting away together.
“It is incredibly touching to see.”