Not All that Spreads Wildly is Bad.
A few days ago, I reached out to some doctor friends asking if there was anything I could do to help them or their colleagues. Being the CEO of Derek Rose, a fashion brand that makes clothes to help people enjoy their free time, I suggested we offer some pyjamas, t-shirts and underwear if needed.
Professor Charlie Swanton kindly passed my message on and as it spread I found myself talking to a couple of amazing people at two London hospitals. They explained that Intensive Care Unit team members were working round the clock and, in many cases, unable to return home to sleep, shower, change or eat well. Within two days we delivered a package of pyjamas, t-shirts and underwear for the amazing men and women on the front-line.
From the same email the Intensive Care Society (ICS) contacted me. The ICS is the only professional body who represents each member of these multi-professional ICU teams. Staff wellbeing is one of the core priorities of the ICS in its COVID-19 response. This is led by volunteer Doctor Yun Mei; trying to oversee this on top of her 13-hour clinical shifts.
We discussed how we can help and came up with the following:
RESOURCES
Doctor Yun Mei is one of many ICU team members working between 13-hour shifts. We need more volunteers; especially on the social media, logistics and data management side.
PRODUCTS
If your company makes any of the following sorts of products, get in touch with me (details below) and we can arrange to send them on to the ICU teams:
T-shirts
Underwear/ Socks / Pyjamas /Eye masks
Toothbrushes/ Toothpaste
Deodorant/ Shampoo/ Body wash/ Moisturiser
Hairbands/ Hairbrushes
Sleeping bags/ Duvets/ Pillows
Non-perishable foods
MONEY
We can raise funds for these teams via social media. Diseases spread quickly but social media is quicker. We know how effectively the COVID-19 virus spreads but I genuinely believe we can do better using the power of social media. I urge you to please spread this message to those you know with the hashtag #WeAreCritical.
Here are some tips for effective Social Media posting in aid of ICS:
1. Write a short message for the ICU Teams on the front line that need support.
2. Use the Derek Rose template below if you wish to.
3. Ask for: Text £5 donations via ‘INTENSIVECARE’ at 70490.
4. Use hashtag #WeAreCritical
5. Tag @ics_update
6. Optional: add this JustGiving link in bio and direct people to it in your post.
These are the social channels ICS uses:
Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intensive-care-society/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ics_updates/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/intensivecaresociety/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intensive-care-society/
Let’s support our critical care heroes.
Sacha Rose
CEO, Derek Rose
#WeAreCritical #derekroselondon
I can be reached via email at sacha.rose@derek-rose.com, or on Twitter and Instagram @derekroseceo.
