Covid NHS heroes get freebie stays at east London hotels as a ‘thank you’ for their lost weekends

Hundreds of frontline NHS staff and their families got freebie City break weekend in hotels as a thank you for what they’ve been doing in the battle against Covid 19.

Frontline NHS workers get free hotel weekend as a 'thank you' after pandemic emergency. Picture: Point A - Credit: Point A Hotels

Two hotels in east London took part in the “NHS Weekend of Thanks” over the bank holiday at Canary Wharf and Shoreditch among nine in the Point A Hotel chain.

The weekend was organised in response to research that found one-in-seven frontline workers had no downtime at the height of the pandemic.

“Such sacrifice made us determined to give something back,” the hotel chain’s managing director Nic Wenn said. “It was a ‘no brainer’ to welcome them.

“These healthcare heroes have forgone their normal lives to help others.”

Frontline NHS workers get free hotel weekend as a 'thank you' after pandemic emergency. Picture: Point A - Credit: Point A Hotels

Some 280 NHS personnel and their families were given a break, with local businesses joining in and offering discounts. Other NHS workers get their complimentary stay later this month.

The impact of the pandemic among NHS workers stripped them of downtime with a “negative affect on family life”, the research found. A 58 per cent spike in anxiety and 54pc rise in stress levels came to light, with one-in-five not even having a chance to celebrate their own birthday.