STAFF working at Basingstoke hospital have been given an extra day’s annual leave as a thank you for their hard work.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) has been focusing on wellbeing, with different initiatives to provide support and “a continued message to staff that they are valued and supported”.

In a report to the trust’s Council of Governors, it said there has been a “noticeable pressure on staff as a result of the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Sickness absence levels have been increasing, which is a combination of Covid related absence and the normal non-Covid related winter absence.

Wellbeing initiatives have included sending Christmas cards to staff with a thank you message and a gift of an extra day’s annual leave; treats and gifts taken to wards; an emotional wellbeing hub with a phone line and resources; additional spaces for eating and rest rooms; meditation events; cook-along Zoom sessions; and free food in the restaurants in January.