Countless patients and their families will benefit from a remarkable £2m donation to ELHT&Me, the charity for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT).
The donation – the largest single gift the charity has ever received – has been generously gifted by The Kay Family Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting charities to improve people’s health and wellbeing, the relief of hardship and promoting community activities and conservation for the benefit of the people of East Lancashire.
The funding will be distributed across numerous departments, enabling enhancements in patient care and cutting-edge technology that will have an impact for years to come.
A spokesperson for The Kay Family Foundation said: “We know the difference East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust makes to people’s lives, having experienced first-hand care and treatment at the hospital.
“Our hope is that this donation will touch the lives of thousands of patients, ensuring they receive the best technology and the most comforting environment possible.
“We are proud to invest in the health and wellbeing of our local community through a significant donation towards the latest equipment.”
The donation will fund an extensive and necessary range of equipment, with the blessing of the foundation, with the sole intention of having the most impact possible over its five hospital settings and beyond into the community integrated teams.
Key initiatives will include:
- Visual field machines for the Ophthalmology Team to assess a patient’s visual field, which are crucial for diagnosis of eye diseases. These machines help to shorten test times and provide greater comfort for patients during their treatment.
- Thirteen advanced neonatal incubators for our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). These will provide a healing environment to help newborns thrive. It causes baby less stress and keeps them in one, safe and comfortable bed from being born to arriving in NICU.
- Mobile x-ray machines to allow poorly patients to be imaged at the bedside, without the need to be transported to the main radiology department. This will help provide a faster diagnosis for bed-based patients and the subsequent treatment.
- A scalp cooler, used for patients receiving chemotherapy treatment to help reduce hair loss. This additional one will allow more patients within cancer services to benefit.
- 18 community bladder scanners to enable district nurses to scan patients and help reduce unnecessary catheterisation by nearly 50% which will help lower the risk of infection – and reduce the need for a hospital visit. This will also result in a better experience for patients who will be scanned in the comfort of their own home.
Chief Executive of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Martin Hodgson said: “This is a remarkable and incredibly generous donation that will literally change lives. After having the honour of meeting with the Foundation, I know personally just how much it means to them to be able to give something back to their local hospital.
“From patients in pre surgery to premature babies being cared for in NICU and those living with cancer who rely on community team support, this once-in-a-lifetime donation will make a huge difference and that impact will be felt for many years to come.
“We truly are extremely grateful to The Kay Family Foundation for their donation.”
ELHT&Me is the official charity of ELHT, supporting patients, colleagues and research over and above what the NHS can provide.
New equipment to support diagnosis and treatment, patient comfort packs or guest beds for family members of patients receiving end of life care are just some of the projects that ELHT&Me fund from generous donations.
Head of Charity, Denise Barrett-Wilson said: “This thoughtful and wonderful donation from The Kay Family Foundation will have a profound impact on so many areas of care and treatment.
“We have worked with them to identify how it will be used – every single penny will directly impact a patient’s journey.
“We are eternally grateful to The Kay Family Foundation for their extraordinary generosity and support of our services.”
If you would like to support the hospital charity through a donation or organising a fundraising event, please visit www.elhtandme.co.uk