This blog was destined to begin with an excuse for the delay in posting, citing a busy summer and autumn.
However, we have just received a request from a clinical nurse in the NHS, which puts any ‘busy ‘ excuse into feeble perspective.
The NHS is a market we value and into which we have organically evolved.
Those who know of our background might principally associate us with the schools market. After all, our Schoolbottle track record dates back to 2003, when we supported campaigns by major water companies to help educate schools in the merits of healthy hydration and the environmental benefits of reusable bottles.
Our products and principle inevitably became of interest to sports clubs, businesses and many public bodies. Today we have long established Sportbottle clientele, from community sports clubs to Liverpool AFC, from privately owned businesses to industry giants.
Our range of reusable bottles has also dramatically expanded but the message they convey has remained consistent. Supported by our love of innovation.
Hence, we developed a solution allowing our bottles to be approved for use in NHS clinical areas. The hydration needs of patients will always be met, but NHS staff are equally in need. Having a reusable bottle for their ‘on the go’ use and somewhere to conveniently refill it, is often overlooked.
Consequently our NHS bottle supplies have been supplemented with pilot initiatives for Hydrachill water refilling stations, enabling staff among others to hygienically refill them.
However the e-mail request we received from a non-customer NHS Trust highlighted how far we have still to go in this mission. It was a plea from a clinical nurse lead, on behalf of her staff.
“ Was heartbroken yesterday in handover when a few of my staff said they haven’t had anything to drink between 8am and 2pm because of how busy it was yesterday at work and they didn’t have the time to get to any shop to get a drink.”
We’ll help of course. But the letter served as a timely reminder of the extra strain NHS and care staff currently endure, which is a very different form of pressure to the ones most of us experience. When we next wish to grumble about our busy lives, it might help to keep this perspective.
