Colleagues from Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) came together on Tuesday 22 March in an act of reflection, remembrance and respect for all who gave or received care during the Covid-19 pandemic and as a signal of hope for the future.

A service led by chaplains at Loughborough Hospital was livestreamed for the trust’s 6,500 staff to watch, and patients, service-users, carers and the wider public were also invited to watch along.

The service included a commemorative flower-planting ceremony by four members of staff who were nominated to attend the event in person in recognition of their outstanding commitment and dedication. The four flowers represent the trust’s values of compassion, trust, integrity and respect.

At the event Cathy Ellis, chair of LPT said: “Today is all about reflecting on our journey from the last 24 months, recognising the challenges and difficulties, what we have all learned and of course it is a time of remembering those we have lost personally and in our LPT family too.

All colleagues at LPT completely rose to the challenges and found solutions so quickly to enable the safety and continued care for our patients, service users and carers throughout the pandemic. I cannot express enough how proud I am of our staff and the incredible efforts each and every member of staff has put in every single day to Step up to Great.

It’s so important for us to remember and celebrate what we have achieved during this unprecedented time but it is also a time to pause, reflect and remember the difficult times.  It hasn’t always been easy and you may have lost friends or loved ones during this time. We know it has been so sad to lose some of our LPT family too.

I would like to take a moment now to remember these people with fondness and that we continue to support each other, each day with kindness and compassion.”

Kartar Bring, head of chaplaincy said: “The past 24 months have brought out some of the very best in our NHS family, as we’ve been through some of the very worst of times. Today we gather to recognise the hard work and commitment of our staff working together through the pandemic, but we also remember the difficult times we have had. We gather to celebrate how staff went the extra mile and pulled together as a team to serve the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, to reflect on what we’ve been through, and to move forward, with hope and optimism.”

The event took place ahead of the Marie Curie National Day of Reflection on Wednesday 23 March, which aims to connect and support the millions of people who are grieving, and remember the family, friends, neighbours and colleagues lost over the last two years.

The recording is available on the trust’s YouTube channel: