The list of things that NHS workers need and will benefit from during the coronavirus crisis is extensive. Proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is obviously top – along with reassurance that the rest of us stay home to halt the spread of COVID-19 before our hospitals become overloaded.
Beauty products are clearly less essential, but it's still heartwarming to hear that The Body Shop is donating 225,000 items to NHS workers who might not have time to shop for cosmetics right now.
These free items include soap, body lotion and face scrubs. The ethical beauty brand, whose UK stores have been closed since 19th March, is also distributing 100,000 bars of soap and 100,000 tubes of hand cream to the UK's new NHS Nightingale temporary hospitals.
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The free products are being distributed in London at Great Ormond Street Hospital, The Royal Marsden Hospital, Guy’s Hospital, St Thomas’ Hospital, Lewisham Hospital, Greenwich Hospital and Kings College Hospital.
Outside of London, they're being distributed at Chichester Hospital, Worthing Hospital, Brighton Children’s Hospital and Manchester Children’s Hospital, as well as to staff at South East Coast Ambulance Service.
"This is our way of thanking the NHS workers on the frontline, risking their lives to save ours to help protect the communities we live in," said Linda Campbell, managing director of The Body Shop UK.
"Critical care teams have been working long shifts, with very little downtime, pretty much living on site. We hope that by donating self-care treats to hospitals across the country, we can bring a few moments of respite."