Change Please has begun serving free coffee at the NHS Nightingale EXCEL London, to help boost morale, provide some welcome fuel and rejuvenation for staff working relentlessly treating patients with Covid-19.
The goodwill gesture will be rolled out to potentially eight other hospitals across the UK, including the NHS Nightingale Manchester.
Change Please is a social enterprise which provides full barista training, jobs paying the London Living Wage and support for people experiencing homelessness.
With multiple coffee shops and carts across the UK being closed due to the UK lockdown, their trained baristas have volunteered to serve coffee at hospital sites across the UK.
Coffee is being provided to the front-line staff free of charge but Change Please are relying on funding from businesses and the public to continue this venture.
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Founder of Change Please, Cemal Ezal, said: “When we started Change Please back in 2015, our goal was to help vulnerable members of society get back on track, while providing high-quality coffee.
“We are so pleased to be able to provide support to the NHS during this trying time. We hope our coffee gives staff welcomed respite and refreshment as a small gesture to thank them for their incredible efforts saving lives.”
Natalie Forrest, NHS Nightingale London’s chief operating officer, has already visited the site and said: “It’s wonderful for our staff to be able to enjoy a great cup of coffee, courtesy of Change Please, as they start or finish their daily shift at NHS Nightingale, London.
“This selfless act of kindness and support is a humbling reminder to us all of the efforts being made across all sectors of the community to support the NHS at this challenging time. On behalf of everyone at NHS Nightingale, our heartfelt thanks.”
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