NHS Footwear Pre-launch

In the works - a public thank-you to NHS staff

They look after us. Let’s look after them.

NHS Footwear is a community project being built right now: donations from the public, turned into proper, supportive footwear for NHS staff - the people who spend twelve-hour shifts standing, walking and running for the rest of us.

Back the idea Register interest

An independent project, not part of the NHS · Pre-launch - we are not yet collecting donations

Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel - October 2026

Where this started

A few weeks ago, my two-year-old son was in intensive care at the Royal London Hospital - intubated, on a ventilator, with a team around him day and night.

Those staff work twelve-hour shifts, nearly all of it on their feet, at pace, on hard floors. Some wore good, cushioned trainers. Plenty didn’t. And it stuck with me: the people doing some of the hardest and most important work in this country deserve footwear that gets them through the shift.

NHS Footwear is a way of saying thank you - to that team and to NHS staff everywhere. In the nicest way possible: by looking after the feet that carry the NHS.

- Founder, NHS Footwear

The plan

Simple on purpose

We’re mapping the project out and setting up as a charity. Here’s the shape of it:

01

The public gives

Donations from anyone who wants to say thank you to the NHS. We’re pre-funding today - no money is being collected yet.

02

We subsidise good footwear

To begin with, donations will part-fund quality, shift-worthy footwear for NHS staff - so every pound helps more pairs onto more feet.

03

Then we supply outright

As funding and partnerships grow, we move from subsidising pairs to fully funding them - free to the staff who need them.

Run transparently, with every pound accounted for.

Foot health

What actually works on a ward

Twelve hours on hard floors is an athletic event. Watch a shift and you’ll see a few families of footwear doing the heavy lifting:

Clogs

Wide feetEasy on & offWipe-clean

Roomy toe box, nothing to lace and they rinse clean. The open style suits anyone who runs warm or needs extra width.

Seen on wards everywhere: Crocs

Max-cushion trainers

Squishy soleHard floorsAll-day standing

Thick, soft midsoles that take the sting out of concrete-hard corridors. The “walking on marshmallows” option.

Think: Hoka

Structured running shoes

Enclosed fitArch supportStability

A secure, laced fit with proper support - for anyone who prefers a closed shoe that holds the foot steady at pace.

Think: ASICS

The full guide is coming: one to three recommended options for men and for women in each family, at different price points, shaped with the people who actually do the shifts. Brands named here are ones we’ve seen on wards - examples, not sponsorships. Footwear brands: we’d love to change that - see below.

Think this should exist?

Give it a thumbs up. It costs nothing and it shows us - and future partners - that people want this to happen.

Pre-launch list

Be first in line

Leave your email and we’ll contact you the moment NHS Footwear takes its next step. NHS staff go to the front of the queue - if that’s you, feel free to use your work email so we can prioritise you.

We’ll only use your details to contact you about NHS Footwear. No newsletters, nothing shared - and we’ll delete them on request.

Join in

Help build it

This will take more than one person - and we’d love the company. However you can help, we want to hear from you.

Footwear brands & retailers

Stock, staff discounts, fitting expertise or a partnership - early conversations are very welcome.

Donors & sponsors

Help fund the first pairs and shape how the project grows - individuals and businesses alike.

NHS staff & everyone else

Tell us what your feet go through on shift, or lend a skill: charity set-up, design, logistics, spreading the word.

Say hello: hello@nhsfootwear.com