Hospital - how to thank staff?

[MostlyFoggyTheseDays]

Looking for thank you advice for hospital staff. I’m in hospital following big surgeries following a tumor being identified through screening. I want to plot my thanks to the screening unit the surgical ward - everyone really. Saved my life and I hopefully get to see my kids leave school and beyond now.

can nurses/doctors/surgeons/medical assistants please advise what goes down well? Big boxes of doughnuts, nice coffees, fruit basket, don’t know if I could fund a kind of tab at costa at the hospital- I’m so bloody grateful I want to find a chunk of cash for this so up to £100 between the ward and screening unit - what should I do? Thank you!

Personally, I appreciate a thank you card (with me named!) over a gift. It’s really useful for revalidation which we have to do every three years - you have to provide feedback you’ve been given and it’s therefore very useful to have one to hand. I’ve kept every thank you card I’ve ever been given over
my career and cherish each one

I’ve always done big jars of nice coffee and decent tea bags, including herbal, and if fruit or snacks, stuff that is individually wrapped (eg bag of satsumas, which I know sounds weird, but i would think anything that had been touched would feel a bit grim).

I made a huge tin of shortbread and took it to the department. Everyone got a card and a £5 Sainsburys voucher.

So many behind the scenes staff as well, Cleaners, Porters, Laundry, Catering, Pharmacy etc.

I wrote a message in a card and bought several tins of Roses specifically asking for them to be distributed to both ward staff and support staff.

When my son was being discharged after 10 months I did cards with Costa vouchers to my sons favourite nurses followed by a massive box of donuts for each ward he was on.

Agree re support staff btw! Great ideas above and I’ll start recording names as I’m a bit out of it and don’t want to forget. But also know I can’t name everyone so will do both cards and general goodies - like the teas and coffees and chocolates which will last longer than fruit or doughnuts I guess. Thanks for the hints and thanks to @IDontDrinkTea for all you do x

Took a couple of crates of wine and it was well received.

I suspect pretty much anything sealed up they would be happy with.

Home made stuff probably less so.

Chocolates and biscuits for the doctors, nurses and other staff. Letter of thanks to the CEO, naming staff and teams, copied to the MP.

Honestly a box of tea and coffee would be great as we don’t get any of that provided.
Have you remembered the theatre staff too? They’re often forgotten

Cosco style Tea. Coffee, decaf and caf, herbal tea, hot chocolait.
Not donuts or fruit that goes off.
And the card thanking everyone you knew by name and the department.

We did thank you cards & big boxes of chocolates, and also sent glowing reviews to the appropriate website & posted our appreciation on social media, tagging the hospital.

Tubs of sweets and chocolates so staff can dip in here and there, and cards for the separate wards you were on, naming as many people as you can remember. If you can name any staff your thank you card can help toward re-validation.
Coffee and tea are nice ideas but realistically on a busy ward there isn't time to just sit and have a brew and break times are for urgent things like gobbling some food quickly!

ETA - put some of your own identifying details on your correspondence - name, date of birth and address will do it!

I took in a couple of crates of bottled water. It was well received

I'd agree with a letter or card.
And if you have had surgery, don't forget the anaesthetist - they are crucial, but so often get overlooked.

Thanks all - I have a package building in my mind - letters ceo/mp great shout, and a big pack of goodies and cards to all who contributed- anesthetist is a good reminder - he was truly amazing given I was under for 7 hrs! Great chat as it was happening too but goodness my retention of names was poor by that point 😬

I did an email so it was on record. Then a card and a bag of stuff - small bottles of squeeze squash, tea, coffee, biscuits, individually wrapped cakes, sweets, some dried fruit type bars, mints, hand cream and a huge box of pens!

My mum has recently come out of hospital after a very scary admission and 6 night stay. She's now at home and recovering well.
On her last night in the ward she spent 5 of the nights in, I dropped them in a box of Cadburys Heroes just to say thanks. I've just bought a card as well, which I'm going to write and send off in a couple of days.
I've also got a card to send to her GP, who was vital in his swift and accurate diagnosis. I want them to know that her family are grateful.

I work in a hospital and as a gift I'd love to receive a compliment via email (email to the hospital customer service dept).

I’m a healthcare professional. We are all very happy with biscuits or chocolate & a nice heartfelt card. It’s great to be appreciated.

Named cards for staff and basket of ripe ready to eat fruit. Then foow up with another about a month later. "Not forgotten" card attached.

Speaking to staff in the oncology day centre earlier in the month, they get lots of sweet stuff and really appreciate something savoury.

After I was in for 3 weeks, dh took big tins of M&S chocolate biscuits to the 2 wards, plus cards with very grateful thanks. I also made a fairly substantial donation to the hospital charity.

Write a letter to management.

Twinings do a nice jar filled with individually wrapped teas including herbal ones.

Biscuits go down well, Foxes do nice packs that I have distributed across many departments at my local hospital.

Echo above cards mean the most. Generally the wards get tons of biscuits and choc so fruit/savory stuff always makes a nice change. 100% don't forget the anaesthetist for cards. We are definitely the behind the scenes team but I do miss no longer getting cards since moving from the wards (I've collected every one for years and rereading them gets me through the tough days

DH died in hospital after an emergency admittance, so took in boxes of M&S cakes for night & day ward staff as a general thank you. I didn't think of adding a thank you card at the time. Sorry staff!