Home / Health / NHS Trusts Spent £350K on Signs Amid Pandemic Deaths
NHS Trusts Spent £350K on Signs Amid Pandemic Deaths
30 Jan
Summary
- Two London NHS trusts spent £345,142 on decorative signs.
- The spending occurred while over 1,600 Covid patients died.
- Signs could have funded 18 life-saving ventilators.
Two London NHS trusts incurred expenses totaling £345,142.41 on decorative signage during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The spending was revealed through a Freedom of Information request and occurred while over 1,600 patients succumbed to the virus at King's College Trust hospitals between the pandemic's start and March 2023.
The "Big Thank You" campaign, designed to recognize staff dedication and aid recruitment, saw extensive signage installed along Denmark Hill and within multiple hospital sites. This substantial sum could have alternatively funded approximately 18 ventilators, crucial equipment for treating severe COVID-19 cases.
Critics describe the expenditure as a shocking example of warped priorities, with taxpayers' money allocated to "vanity projects" while frontline services were strained and lives were lost. The trusts defended the spending, citing its positive impact on staff morale and recruitment efforts, noting the campaign also won awards.
King's College NHS Trust accounted for the vast majority of the spending, disbursing £338,694.40, while South London and Maudsley NHS Trust spent £6,448.01. The latter initially suggested in-house production but confirmed using the same campaign materials as King's College Trust.
