Our charity does not subsidise the core responsibilities of the NHS but we enhance the essential services provided by them to make the hospital journey the best it can be for everyone.  

Our charitable donations fall into four categories:

• Medical equipment
• Information and technology
• Comfort and the environment
• Research and training

Read each category for examples of projects and items we have purchased recently.

Medical equipment

We have invested in a line of Accuvein devices to assist in taking blood in the quickest and most efficient way. LED lights illuminate the veins making the best veins instantly visible.

These can be used on our frailest and tiniest patients as well as those with hard to find or scarred veins such as cancer or sickle cell patients. 

Wards have also benefited from extra blood scanners helping to speed the process from investigation to diagnosis.

Information technology

Surgical training was enhanced greatly when we converted a room on Ocean B surgical ward at Queen’s Hospital into a state-of-the-art surgical seminar room. 

Staff can now gather daily to discuss surgical procedures and get involved in some practical training.

We also provided two laparoscopy training units which are in constant use by the academy of surgery students.

The addition of a 65 inch digital touch screen, comfortable seating and bright décor has been very gratefully received.  

Comfort and the environment

A generous donation given to the Oncology Department was used, as requested by the donor, to enhance the environment for patients waiting to use the oncology service.

The brief was to make the area friendlier from the moment a patient arrived at the entrance door.  

After consultation, a theme of ‘woodland in the spring’ was chosen.  Welcome signs and better signage for car parking in the centre were also installed. New bright and comfortable seating, murals and a tranquil light box have transformed the area. 

A constant stream of compliments has been received from patients who use the area regularly, saying it has lifted their spirits when they come for their treatment.  

One patient said, “I imagined myself walking up the pathway to see where it leads to”. After a request from our patient experience team we were shown a set of rooms used for families to say their farewells to loved ones that had sadly passed.

With grey flooring, bland beige walls and no natural light the room seemed a very sad place to say farewell.

The team asked if we could give the suite of rooms a makeover so they would be fit for purpose and yet sympathetic to the families that would use them.

We used colours and furnishings chosen to reflect a calm and tranquil ambience.  The rooms were renamed The Sunset Suite by the staff and everybody agreed this is now a very suitable and aptly named area where families can reflect and take their time to say goodbye.

Research and training

The charity has supported divisional teams in creating and running many educational courses for emergency and trauma. These accredited courses mean our own staff fulfil their mandatory training, but we can also offer places to other healthcare professionals.

These courses are always oversubscribed and raise additional funds which can then benefit other areas of the service. Thanks to donations from our loyal supporters we were able to fund a new ECG machine and Accuvein for our cardiology research team.

We have funded a new scrubs uniform for the research team to wear to help raise awareness that research is going on in our hospitals, encouraging staff to get involved and patients to ask how to get involved. We have also funded additional staff to join the research team.
All this means our patients get the chance to be included in innovative trials with the latest drugs.

We're making a difference every single day for patients and staff across our hospitals. Much of this is thanks to the generosity of individuals, companies and groups making donations, organising events and taking on challenges to support the hospitals they care about.

Legacies are also extremely important to our charity, and allow us to fund very special projects and improvements which simply couldn't happen without these generous gifts from wills.

Our charity takes great care to ensure donations are spent wisely and with the maximum positive impact for patients and staff across our hospitals.

Read our latest Annual Report and Accounts for examples of how we are making a difference across our hospitals.