Ukraine war refugees: Swansea Covid field hospital beds donated

One charity said beds donated to families hosting Ukrainian refugees will "keep families together"

Hundreds of beds and mattresses that were urgently procured for a Covid field hospital will now be donated to those in need.

About 500 unused beds from the Swansea Bay field hospital will be given to vulnerable people, including families.

The health board said it would also give beds to people who have signed up to host Ukrainian refugees.

One charity said the offer would help "keep refugee families together".

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Glyn and Jan Davies, from Swansea, have signed up and are waiting to be matched with a Ukrainian family.

Previously being limited in what they could offer, after receiving a bed from the health board Ms Davies said they now "don't have to say no" to hosting a larger family.

Glyn and Jan Davies have said the extra bed will allow them to host a family of three

Mr Davies said: "Now we could have a family of three if necessary, whereas we would have been asking a mother and a daughter to sleep in the same bed."

The health board is also working with the local council and local charities to provide beds for families experiencing "bed poverty."

'Amazing opportunity'

Thousands of families across Wales have signed up to host refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.

Swansea's health board is offering beds to those families, to make it easier for them to host Ukrainian refugees.

Vicky Martin said it was an "amazing opportunity" which would allow host families to "keep refugee families together".

Vicky Martin said keeping refugee families together allows them to feel safe in their new homes

"There's a lot of women coming across with children. One of the most important things is to make them feel safe because they've come away from all sorts of horrors," Ms Martin said.

"Keeping children with their families together helps them feel safe in their new homes."

The beds were originally bought by Welsh government in the first wave of the pandemic for the rehabilitation of Covid patients.

Another 100 beds will be made available when the field hospital closes for good.

The health board's improvement manager, Amanda Davies, said the idea to donate the beds came from realising how many families in the Swansea area experience bed poverty.

Amanda Davies, of Swansea Bay UHB, said the bed donation is "really positive"

"People are having to choose between eating and heating their homes," said Ms Davies.

"So the fact that as a health board we can do something really positive and be proactive is really positive for us," she added.

Principal officer for Volunteering at Neath Port Talbot council Gemma Richards is helping the health board to identify the families who could benefit most from beds.

She says that bed poverty hits children hardest, and can impact their learning at school, well-being and development.

"There are around 18000 children living in poverty across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot," she said.

"In a recent research document from the Child Action Poverty group it stated that over a third of children in Wales now are living in poverty - it's 31%, it's a huge number really."

Pillows, duvets and bed linen have been donated by staff from the health board - as well as dental kits from local practices.

Pillows, duvets and bed linen have been donated by staff from the health board

The field hospital beds are not suitable for NHS use - they lack the pedals and motors needed to raise and lower patients, so were not built for long-term clinical use.

They were only meant for short-term use in an emergency situation, however, the beds are robust enough for every day domestic use.

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