Hannah Ingram-Moore -Victim or Villain?

i never fully grasped why people donated to this in the first place - the NHS is NOT a charity and is funded by the government / taxpayer so I never donated !!

I cannot believe the vitriol I am hearing, that people honestly think nhs clinical staff, especially those working in urgent or acute services, do not deserve a cup of tea and a mars bar. On a 12 or even 18 hour shift in A&E, when often there is barely time for a glass of water let alone a sit down and a cuppa, when they are doing everything they can with limited staffing, space, time, to save the lives of people you love, do you really begrudge your charity donation going towards food and drink?

As someone previously said, these staff members have paid for parking or transport to work, they pay inflated prices in the canteen or a vending machine (if they are lucking enough to have 5 minutes to do so) for anything food and drink they haven’t brought from home. They provide their own tea bags, milk, etc for the staff rooms. The kettle and microwave is often broken, the chairs are ripped, the cleaner has left so no ones emptied the bin for a week, something is broken but estates were called 3 weeks ago and still haven’t been.

They are working over their rota’d hours and so probably not being paid, perhaps because the next staff member is sick, late, quit, caught up with an emergency in the car park.

They owe thousands in student loans they took out to do this training.

They are not having a fucking cream tea like they are on holiday in Devon. They deserve a mars bar, or even a massage if they are damn lucky enough to find time to have one.

I know this was not the original point of the post but I could not walk away without sharing my absolute disgust at some of the comments I have read here about nhs staff getting any of the very small and very rare benefits that have been referenced.

An independent body should be controlling it.

Would you have been happier if your money had gone to all those make shift hospitals they set up that were a total waste if money because they couldn't staff them?

It was very clear that it was going to NHS charities from the start

This is certainly true where I work - I also questioned it among colleagues. We had well being boxes last year and they were an utter waste of money.

Sorry- my point is that if, at inception, he'd realised he was going to raise 39 million then he'd hopefully have given more thought to exactly how to distribute it most meaningfully. However, once he'd said "I'm doing this walk for NHS Charities" and the donations were rolling in, he couldn't then change the charity, as that would have been fraudulent. They also (as individuals) had no experience, time or staffing to act as a grant making foundation and consider applications on a merit basis, which is why it made sense just to stick with the original plan to give it as an unrestricted donation to NHS Charities Together. However, to then change tack and become a grant making foundation when you've just made a 39 million unrestricted donation makes no sense, when they only raised a further 1 million in the next year.

In the 80s Russ Abbot (popular comedian) released a terrible song about parties with a happy atmosphere. Worth a look on YouTube. It definitely belongs back in the 80s 🤣

I suspect the original Capt. Tom campaign got overtaken by events - he sets out to raise a grand for the NHS (probably didn't really think about exactly which route he'd funnel it through- probably had vague idea he'd give it to his local hospital). Then it becomes some huge thing with GBP39m and national interest/ donor base. The only real option is the NHS Charities Together because that has national scope and can absorb GBP39m and distribute it quickly.

The NHS fundraising landscape is quite confusing as there's NHS Together and then some hospitals have their own charities (GOSH/Royal Marsden). Equipment etc tends to be bought through appeals by these location -specific charities. I can see why people feel it didn't go where they expected it to but I dont think it's fraudulent- AFAIK the original 38m did go to support the NHS through NHS Together.

Where Hannah doesn't come across v well is trying to continue it afterwards. They should have just left it as a one off campaign that raised a lump sum, donated it and had basically zero costs. It's unclear what the purpose was after that.

Gosh Russ Abbot is a blast from the past- and that song! Haven’t thought about him in over 30 years!

I wonder if it happened at a party with a happy atmosphere…..

🤣🤣🤣

Can someone PLEASE explain why a previous poster believes CT caught covid from Russ Abbott? I NEED to know!! 🤣

It was really clear the fundraising was for NHS charities together… at least on the BBC. It would be going towards supporting Staff and patients… not the NHS services which are not a charity …. so I’m really baffled that there was so much misunderstanding of what the money would be spent on.

Did people really think it was for respiratory equipment, extra beds, medical equipment and supplies, bank shifts for extra staff during Covid. I’m so surprised that’s what those donating thought their money would be funding. That’s all the government’s responsibility!

Spot on!

I don't begrudge a penny spent. I think so many have forgotten what frontline staff went through.

but I can't recall whether the captain tom campaign was clear on how it would be spent? I can see people may have been misled /misunderstood

(I donated direct to various hospital charities knowing that was exactly how it would be spent, it was clearly harrowing for those working in hospitals and i wanted them to feel the warmth of support )

But surely supporting the well-being of NHS staff, especially during the pandemic does ultimately save lives?

Charity funds that went on Mars bars or massages were spent to make their lives a bit easier. This may meant that they stayed on an extra few hours rather than going home to eat and relax and that extra time on duty helped save lives

I didn’t donate to Tom as thought it was dodgy from the start, but I have donated and still do regularly, to NHS charities. I don’t expect that much of it goes on equipment but if it buys some pizza’s for staff who have not had a break for 13 hours (I have relatives in the NHS who say that’s a regular thing) then I will gladly keep donating

Well I beg to differ.

I think you have forgotten (or never appreciated) what it was like for NHS staff during COVID.

From my perspective anything that helped get them through their shift, be it cake, a massage, free tea/coffee, a toilet stocked with sampro, counselling, welfare centres, a redecorated staff room, staff shower/changing rooms, comfy rest chairs or frankly anything else that made life a bit easier was well deserved and money well spent.

Goodness knows I've worked in corporate environments where a lot of this stuff is standard (including additional things like on-site gyms and childcare facilities) despite a far less stressful work environment.

We donated money to save lives - not buy mars bars. Well - that was my understanding anyway -but it looks like I'm in a minority

Did you think the NHS was a charity? I think this confusion probably was a significant reason for the huge amount of money raised but it was never going to be the case that that's where it went because, as already stated, the NHS is not a charity.

Well I donated with the thought that my money was going towards the hospitals, helping patients, and creating more space and getting equipment needed for the many patients with COVID. Naively though, it now seems. I definitely didn’t donate for staff to have massages and cream teas. And I’m pretty sure the staff didn’t decide to remain in their jobs because they were offered the ‘odd coffee and cake morning’.

How disappointing.

Agree I always smelt a rat,

I don't think Tom had any dodgy motivations, but it sounds like his daughter has just been dazzled by the sums of money and gone rogue.

I can't help but think the apple does not fall far from the tree. They suckered lots of people in with the 'feels of the nation'

Reminds me a bit of 'clapping for our NHS'.. whilst refusing to pay our NHS staff, running the services to the ground and selling them off to mates - for huge profits

The initial money was never going to be spent on equipment OP. There's no scandal there. The NHS isn't a charity- it's funded by tax payers and always was. If you and others weren't aware of that, that's on you.
What is a scandal is the 'foundation' later set up which appears to have largely benefited its founders.

@OnceAgainWithFeeling Agree with you… staff are voting with their feet and leaving in droves because they can’t take any more. People are broken. I don’t think people understand how bad the situation is and the NHS is haemorrhaging staff.