Friends of St Cross appeal doubles target

The good news was shared with board members on Monday, as £1,312 from the Union of Catholic Mothers in Bilton took the final total for the appeal, backed by the Advertiser, to £128,038 – the original target was £60,000.

The board also heard that the Friends Blood Taking unit has been hailed as an outstanding success since it opened on December 14.

Compared with October and November last year attendance in January and February is up 28% (from 287 per day to 368) and the percentage of patients who have had their blood taken within 15 minutes of registration has gone up from 53% to 72%.

Senior phlebotomist at the new unit Michelle Giles said: “The team were so excited to start in the new unit and are really happy with the way it is working. We’ve had lots of really positive feedback from patients, and it’s also better for our staff too, with a new lab and staff area.

“I’d like to thank the Friends of St Cross, and everyone involved in creating the new unit, for their hard work to make it a reality.”