Press release – issued 26 June 2026
2026/007
Donated teddy bear care gifts help bring comfort to patients during their cancer journey
Teddy bear care gifts donated by hospital laboratory staff are helping to bring comfort to Macmillan Renton Unit patients during their cancer journey.
Wye Valley NHS Trust’s pathology team have donated care gifts, including 60 teddy bears, hand creams and books of calm, as an act of kindness for patients attending the Macmillan Renton Unit at Hereford County Hospital.
The donation was made as part of Biomedical Science Day which took place earlier this month, which is a national event organised by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS). Funded through the Institute of Biomedical Science, the care gifts are the pathology team’s way of demonstrating their support to help bring comfort to patients.
The Trust’s pathology team work behind the scenes in the hospital labs providing a vital service processing and validating samples throughout a patient’s diagnosis and cancer treatment.
Andrea Johnson, Cellular Pathology Manager at Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “Behind the scenes our Biomedical Scientists handle more than 7 million diagnostic tests per year, 24/7, and work hard to develop our service with new technologies.
“As part of the Biomedical Science Day planned activities this year, our pathology team donated these care gifts for patients during their cancer journey to show that although we may be behind the scenes, patients are always at the heart of what we do. Although the majority of our laboratory staff do not meet the patients behind the samples they process, the team wanted to show their care and compassion through this act of kindness.”
Nicola Chapman, from Hereford, who is a patient at the Macmillan Renton Unit, said: “It’s a lovely gesture to receive these care gifts from the lab staff, who are part of the care and treatment we receive as patients”.
Amanda Thomas, Deputy General Manager Cancer Services, Macmillan Renton Unit, at Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted to receive these gifts from our hospital lab colleagues, which is a very kind gesture that will help to brighten each day for our patients who are going through a cancer journey. It’s a lovely idea to provide patients with care gifts and something we are now looking to explore”.
Biomedical Science Day, is a national event organised by the Institute of Biomedical Science. Biomedical Scientists process patient samples, develop, validate and implement new tests, undertake research and service development, make essential reagents and components and manage the testing facilities needed to provide high quality healthcare to patients.
Photo
Left to right: Hannah Linton - Senior Sister Macmillan Renton Unit, Andrea Johnson - Cellular Pathology Manager, and Nicola Chapman – patient, receiving a teddy bear care gift pack.
Ends
Notes to Editors WVT:
- Wye Valley NHS Trust is a provider of health services across Herefordshire and beyond. The Trust exists to improve the wellbeing, independence and health of the people we serve.
- By working closely with our partners, we can make good our promise to deliver a quality of care we would want for ourselves, our families and our friends.
- With an estimated annual turnover of around £400 million, we employ around 4,000 staff. We aim to build new relationships between our staff, patients, service users and their carers with the wider community.
For further information please contact:
Fiona Gurney, communications officer, or John Burnett, Communication and Engagement Manager, Wye Valley NHS Trust: 01432 372928