Daniel James has been in the community supporting Leeds United Foundation at St James’s University Hospital
Hospital patients had the pleasure of Dan James’s company this week when the Leeds United winger dropped in. The city’s St James’s University Hospital was recently recognised for its success in helping to reduce functional loss among elderly patients and Leeds United Foundation has been involved.
Jimmy’s picked up a Recondition the Nation Silver Award following work with United’s charity to support patients on the hospital’s Beckett Wing. James then dropped in this week to follow that up with a role in the latest session of exercises that build resilience, increase social interaction and improve mental health.
“It’s been great to come along and interact with everyone and to see everyone with a smile on their face,” said 
James. “It is nice for me to see a bit of a different environment and get the chance to know them all.
“It was great to see what they’re doing here and how great the session was, everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy it, which was brilliant.”Helen Pease, from Leeds
Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Dan was absolutely brilliant with the patients, he was really engaged and chatting to everybody, and you could see the patients loved having somebody else joining in their session with them, encouraging them and engaging them in conversation.
“They all know Sophie from the foundation really well now, but when we told them we were going to have a player come down they were all really excited to meet him.”
Recondition the Nation is a scheme that is trying to help reduce functional loss for patients. The club’s official charity and St James’s have been working collaboratively, to try and support some of the more elderly members of our community that are being taken care of on the Beckett Wing.
These people may not have the family or additional support they need to help them recover at home, or there may be a lack of space in homes for them. Between the foundation and hospital, they work hard to give them the care they deserve.
