Unilever UK & Ireland has partnered with SalutetheNHS.org, a not for profit, private sector campaign serving the NHS frontline during the covid-19 crisis. Unilever’s involvement enables the campaign to provide frontline NHS workers with packages of its most popular personal care products, including Vaseline, Dove, Radox and Simple. The products mean staff can wash themselves and care for their skin having spent their shift in uncomfortable PPE.
The personal care products will be supplied for free by Unilever and assembled into bespoke Soothe & Care packages at SalutetheNHS.org’s campaign headquarters. The packs will then be delivered by Yodel to Government-designated covid-19 hospitals and self-isolating frontline workers’ homes. Another FTSE 100 business, DS Smith, has also stepped forward to donate 75,000 white boxes to package the new personal care products.
Unilever’s contribution has allowed the campaign to expand its support for the NHS frontline, which complements its distribution of nutritious Boost meals. SalutetheNHS.org has now delivered over 100,000 meals to the frontline. The team of volunteers – many local Bicester residents and ex British Army soldiers supporting Team Rubicon – are now assembling around 10,000 meal packs a day, which are prepared by Absolute Taste with food supplied by Tesco. The campaign will serve 1 million meals to critical ICU and A&E hospital staff, as well as sick frontline workers self-isolating, over 3 months.
SalutetheNHS.org is a largescale, business-driven but strictly not-for-profit operation, which was inspired by Dr Charlotte Hall, ex Formula 1 racing boss Ron Dennis CBE’s daughter, and is endorsed by NHS Charities Together. It aims to support thousands of key NHS workers with their basic day to day needs, enabling them to focus on saving lives and fighting covid-19.
The initiative has brought together a group of leading food, consumer, logistics, packaging and other specialists, and has rapidly mobilised a professional taskforce who are all working for free. More campaign information can be found at www.salutetheNHS.org.
Sebastian Munden, General Manager of Unilever UK & Ireland, said: “As NHS health workers continue to work so hard to take care of us, we wanted to give them a pack, which means they can take care of themselves. Our Soothe & Care packs are a small gesture of appreciation, from all of us at Unilever, to NHS staff for everything they are doing. We’re delighted to have the opportunity to work with Ron, Dr Hall, and the partners at SaluteTheNHS.org to ensure critical hospital workers across the UK are receiving the support and care they need at this time.”
Ron Dennis CBE, co-founder of SalutetheNHS.org, said: “This campaign is revealing the very best of the private sector. I am overwhelmed by the support coming in from brilliant British businesses right across the country. Together, we have been moving fast and at scale to supply our NHS frontline with balanced meals so they don’t need to worry about shopping or cooking.
“We can now do more and tackle another challenge facing people on the frontline. With the amazing support of Unilever, we will provide our NHS heroes with bespoke personal care packs. After long shifts in hot and uncomfortable PPE, these Soothe & Care packages will enable them to wash and care for themselves before perhaps enjoying one of our Boost meals. We hope that this new contribution goes some way to help and thank them as they do battle against this awful virus.”
