Change Please and Southend University Hospital Team Up

Compass Group UK & Ireland – Healthcare has teamed up with social enterprise Change Please at Southend University Hospital. The partnership, which will see Change Please coffee served at outlets on the site, will see money made from the sales of coffee being pumped into local communities to help reduce levels of homelessness.

Change Please is a social enterprise who aim to help people through the sales of their award-winning coffee. Originally from London, they began life by training homeless people to serve their coffee, helping to get them off the streets. They have also recently been involved with initiatives to supply free coffee to NHS Nightingale hospital workers.

As part of the Change Please offer a new look café has opened, providing a range of hot and cold drinks, alongside a variety of food including paninis, sandwiches and snacks, as well as fresh fruit. Compass has been working with Southend Hospital for 20 years and offers retail services alongside patient dining.

Russell Blake, MD Hospitals and Senior Living, Compass Group UK & Ireland – Healthcare said: “This is a pioneering social enterprise and we’re excited to be able to support it at Southend University Hospital. Compass Group UK & Ireland is part of the Buy Social Corporate Challenge – committing to supporting social enterprises and increasing spend with them. Compass has worked with Change Please for several years, helping 75 people out of homelessness – so we’re thrilled to continue this partnership working in an NHS hospital.”

Cemal Ezel, Founder & CEO of Change Please commented: “We’re delighted to be teaming up with Compass Group UK & Ireland – Healthcare at their Southend University Hospital site for the first time. With the number of people sleeping rough in London doubling in the last 5 years, it’s vital that we can help as many people as possible and providing award winning coffee at Southend will help us do this. The more coffee we can sell, the more people we can train as baristas, helping to get them off the streets.”

Manoj Chohan, Head of Sustainability at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust said: “As a Trust, we are continually looking for new and innovative ways to support our local communities, improve social inclusion and reduce inequalities. By teaming up with the award-winning social enterprise, Change Please we can act as an enabler and help equip vulnerable individuals with the skills and experience they need to have a fresh start at life.”