It’s not often you get to visit the place where laws of the country are made and shaped, which I why I want to use my latest blog to tell you about a memorable trip to London I made recently.

I was fortunate to be invited to the House of Lords as a guest of Lord Simon Russell, the third Baron Russell of Liverpool and a crossbench peer, who is patron of Cavell Nurses’ Trust.

Cavell is the charity supporting UK nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants – both working and retired – when they’re suffering a personal or financial crisis, often due to illness, disability, domestic abuse or rising living costs. Earlier in the year I joined Cavell’s clinical advisory board and I’m very proud to help and support this amazing charity.

I spent a really interesting time over afternoon tea meeting people who have been supported by Cavell. I felt very proud and privileged to be invited to Westminster and to listen to their stories.

Cavell can help healthcare professionals in different ways – from simple, essential support like money to repair or replace a broken cooker, to vital life-changing aid such as helping a family flee their home due to domestic abuse, it is there to support.

Its need is very real. During the first four months of 2022, the team at Cavell saw a 140 per cent increase in the number of people needing help (based on the same period in 2021) and since then applications for help have remained very high as the rise in living costs affects us all.

Of the people Cavell has helped over the last six years:

• 93 per cent said the support they received positively affected their physical health
• 96 per cent said the support positively affected their mental health
• 81 per cent said the support they received helped them get back to, or stay in, work

After my visit, I received an email from Cavell saying our organisation’s support for the nursing and midwifery family is amazing and that it makes a huge difference to those people going through tough times at the moment. That was so kind and I have thanked Cavell.

Cavell has recently produced a 14-page report called “How do you bounce back?” showing the impact that thousands of healthcare staff made in 2021 on the lives of hundreds of families of nurses, midwives and healthcare support workers. The report is available here.

Any healthcare worker can also access help through Cavell. Its website is https://www.cavellnursestrust.org/ and you can also call 01527 595999 for help and advice.

But Cavell also welcomes support from healthcare workers who feel they can help colleagues, by donating, fundraising or joining an event.

You can:

• Join the ‘Working with’ membership programme
• Sponsor the Cavell Star Awards
• Donate funds or expertise

Take care,

Ann-Marie