University Hospital Southampton and One Retail join forces for staff wellbeing offer
University Hospital Southampton has opened a staff and Wellbeing Hub, to deliver a much-needed area that includes a free-to-use staff gym, meeting spaces and cafe. Launched on the 5 July to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS, the hospital has partnered with One Retail, Compass Group UK & Ireland’s retail sector, to include an innovative new café with a focus on health, wellbeing and social value.
The (project) has been made possible with proceeds from the auction of Banksy’s artwork, Game Changer. The painting was gifted to Southampton Hospitals Charity in May 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic. Funds are being distributed throughout the UK to benefit a wider community of healthcare providers and charities across the UK that work to enhance the care and treatment provided by the NHS.
A proportion of this donation has been used to create a place that staff can go to rest and recharge, seven days a week. Integral to this solution has been Compass One’s retail division – working side by side with the team at Southampton, together they have opened Bevans Café, named after the renowned ‘Nye’ Bevan, who spearheaded the creation of the NHS. The café has a strong focus on healthy, affordable, nutritious, delicious food and drink – such as salads and made to order fruit smoothies with a focus on breakfast, lunch and food to grab and go. Change Please coffee and hot beverages will also be served. This is a social enterprise that helps homeless people through the sales of their award-winning coffee.
Compass has partnered within University Hospital Southampton since 2016 and this project is in addition to the 24-hour Costa Coffee, M&S and M&S Café and Subway that operate within the main building of the hospital for staff, visitors and patients.
Matt Hine, Commercial and Enterprise Development Manager said: “Delivering this project with Compass Group UK & Ireland has demonstrated the value of working with a trusted partner who shares our values and is committed to developing facilities that enrich our estate for our people. The inclusion of a social value enterprise like Change Please has been a tremendous addition to the scheme and a perfect fit that not only benefits our community, but our staff too.”
Paul Stansfield, UHS Principal Project Manager for the wellness hub build said: “It’s been a real pleasure leading on the design and delivery of our new Wellbeing Hub, knowing that this will provide a much-needed space for staff wellbeing and development. It has been an enormously rewarding project working with a number of stakeholders, and I hope that this will be enjoyed by colleagues for many years to come.”
Andrew Jones, One Retail, Managing Director commented: “We all know NHS staff go above and beyond, working long hours on busy shifts. This area is a truly unique facility. We are so proud to be part of it, delivering the sentiment of wellbeing with our integral food and drink offers. It has been a privilege to work on such an exciting and market leading project, with our partner at Southampton. I hope everyone working at the hospital enjoys this space to the benefit of their health. Special thanks go to Olly Young, who has led this work from our side, in his role as Business Development Manager.”
Julian Burnham, Director of Sustainability, Change Please said: “It’s fantastic for Change Please to be involved with such a wonderful facility. The team at the hospital do amazing things every day and it is great to think that they will be doing so fuelled by our life changing coffee. Every cup they buy helps to change the lives of people experiencing homelessness and we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship, making a daily difference to the hospital team and the wider community.”
