Driving Home for Christmas as NHS workers from Hartlepool's hospital trust pitch in to take patients home for festive season

A group of therapists, physiotherapists and other staff stayed late after their shifts and gave up their own time to drive some 15 discharged patients home from the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton in time for the big day.

The patients were struggling for lifts and were driven home in an insured vehicle belonging to North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.

The trust said the staff spent hours in going the extra mile for them.

Physiotherapist Bev Marwood said: “We heard there were a lot of patients waiting to get home, so we decided to help out.

“We had a great time. I helped three lovely people get home that evening

“The first patient was actually a patient of mine from many years ago, it’s a small world.

“I was really happy to help out. It is nice to facilitate a discharge that frees up movement in the hospital, especially knowing first-hand how pressured it is from A&E.

“All three of those patients and their families were so glad to get home.

“We made them feel like royalty!”

Trust care group manager Steve Pett praised the staff’s efforts saying: “I’m so proud of our staff!

“They always go the extra mile for our patients and this time, they literally all went extra miles! They all spent hours on a cold evening picking up patients from hospital and taking them home.

"Time that they could have spent doing anything they wanted.

“They all just volunteered without complaint and got on with helping people get home for Christmas.”

Other staff who drove the patients home were Josh Dinsdale, Hannah Scott, Jess Tindall, Shannon O’Dwyer, Bella Pett, Amie Cronin, Nicol Gardener, Tom Reynolds, Joe Leach, Jake Wilson, Mark Ryder and Jo Raines.

Recorded in 1986 by Middlesbrough’s Chris Rea, Driving Home for Christmas reached number 11 in the charts and has become a firm seasonal favourite to this day.

The hospital trust has introduced a new fast-track system for families and friends to drop-off belongings and gifts for in-patients at North Tees hospital.

Its Patient Experience Team will accept personal belongings in a sealed bag and organise delivery to wards.

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