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2020 Leading Lights Annual Staff Awards | Winners Announced

Written by Royal Orthopaedic Charity on February 8, 2020. Posted in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

On Friday 7 February 2020, nearly 300 members of staff came together for a night of festivity at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens to celebrate the incredible staff at The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital at our annual Leading Lights Awards! Our values drive everything we do here at the Trust, we take pride in delivering exceptional patient care and our values are the foundation of that care.

It is remarkable to know that our staff are being recognised for the outstanding work they do. It is safe to say that the shortlisting panel had a difficult job choosing their winners!

The night went down a storm with patients, staff and visitors in attendance. The amount of support and admiration in the room was visible for the entirety of the evening. Seeing a handful of those who make such a huge impact on the Trust, in one room celebrating one another, really made for a special evening.

Did you know the charity funds the staff awards each year?

Every year the annual staff awards is funded by the Invest In Our Best appeal. Supporting the awards every year is an opportunity for the charitable fund to give something back to the employees and volunteers who enable us to continue to be the first choice for orthopaedic care. Whether that is going the extra mile to take care of a family, or researching and developing ways in which we can help the Trust to grow and innovate.

Thank you to our sponsors

We would like to say a special thank you to those who sponsored our awards:

Yvonne Scott, sponsoring the Support Worker of the Year
Kirk Bent, sponsoring the Outstanding Contribution to Patient Experience
Stella Noon, sponsoring Nurse of the Year
Module Co Healthcare Ltd, sponsoring Clinical Achievement
DrDoctor, sponsoring the Innovation Award

If you would like to help support next year’s awards, contact the fundraising team on 0121 685 4379 or email roh.charitablefunds@nhs.net

Lynda’s story

Written by Royal Orthopaedic Charity on February 3, 2020. Posted in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

Lynda Langan was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer after a fall. She decided to donate to The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Charitable Fund after “a wonderful experience of care.” Here is her story.

“My journey started two years ago. It all started when I was riding one day and I fell and landed on my coccyx. It was of course extremely painful and I was told it would take some time to heal. After some time with persistent pain I was referred for an X-ray at Fleetwood Hospital. Something odd showed up, which is when I was referred for an MRI at Preston Hospital where I was diagnosed with a tumour called chordoma. Chordoma is a very rare type of bone cancer, making up only 6% of all bone sarcoma diagnosis.

“This was when I was referred to The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, a specialist bone cancer centre in Birmingham. I met with Mr Parry, an oncology consultant who had the most wonderful way of putting me at ease. He explained everything in a down to earth manor, which made me feel safe and ready to put my faith in him.

“Not long after my initial consultant, I had a procedure to have the tumour and my coccyx removed. I was in hospital for three weeks, and was cared for exceptionally by everyone – nothing was too much trouble. It was then I was told I could have proton beam treatment at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust (in Manchester) if I would like. We applied and my case was accepted, ready for the centre to open in January. Before this I would have had to travel to Florida to receive the treatment, so I was really lucky.

“I had eight-and-a-half weeks of proton treatment and it was an amazing experience. The technology and engineering were unbelievable, it was like a space station. All of the staff became friends and were so kind and made you very comfortable. We stayed in Manchester at Staycity Aparthotel; it was like a home from home. We had everything we needed whilst we were there. A mini bus picked us up each day to take us to the centre.

“Mr Parry had told me because I was very fit and healthy for my age, he was confident that I would come out well from my experience, which I feel I have done. I was an athlete at school and was in county teams for athletics and netball. Until I had my accident, I was still very sporty, playing golf, hiking, swimming daily, cycling, bowling and Nordic walking.

“It has been a long and difficult journey but I have got through it with the help of all of my family and friends. My husband has been my rock and supported me through it all. We have been very happily married for 51 years and are looking forward to many more years ahead. My son came the other day and said “you’re looking really well, mum.” That made me smile. I thought about it for a few minutes and said to myself “you’re right. I’m getting my mojo back, I’m feeling more like my old self more each day.”

“I have always kept a very positive attitude and been able to accept what has happened to me and get on with it, knowing that I was in the best possible hands.

“I will always be eternally grateful to those involved in my journey and those who helped save my life. Now I’m carrying on, living my life in the fast lane.

“Recently I have recently been involved in a research study for chordoma, supported by nurses at the ROH. It came as a surprise, but I felt very privileged to have been given the opportunity to help those who are diagnosed in the future.

“As I had such a wonderful experience of care at ROH, my husband and I decided to make a donation to further support this research programme, and those diagnosed with chordoma in the future.”

London school donates £10,000

Written by Royal Orthopaedic Charity on January 27, 2020. Posted in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

A school in London has raised a staggering £10,000 for the ROH Charitable Fund, to say thank you for the care the hospital provided for a teacher’s relative.

Alleyn’s School, in Dulwich, South London, is a co-educational school for pupils aged four to 18. The school has eight houses, each made up of around 200 students. Every year, the houses vote for a charity to support. Last year, one of the houses, Tulley’s, chose to support the Trust’s charity after hearing about the experience their own housemaster, Jude Fitzgerald, had with the hospital.

Jude’s mother was a long-term patient at the hospital when she was treated for sarcoma. She was brought to the ROH from Lancashire, and spent several months there. Jude credits Professor Abudu, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the ROH, with saving her mother’s life.

The pupils decided to choose the charity as a chance to say thank you for the care the ROH provided, and make a difference to the hospitals future. Jude said: “I entered the charity into the mix on a whim. We don’t influence the children in anyway and we let them choose what they are most supportive of. In this case it was The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, which was really lovely for me, as I have such a personal connection with the hospital.”

Lots of fundraising events were held to keep the number of donations growing. The school held everything from dinner parties and talent shows to lip sync battles and a Mario Kart tournament, played out on a giant screen. The majority of the money came from a charity ball featuring a live auction with gifts donated by the pupils’ parents, performances from the students themselves and food and drink sales.

Jo Williams, Chief Executive at The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, said: “To all the fabulous students and staff at Alleyn’s School, we are so grateful for your hard work. It is an amazing amount of money to raise and on behalf of the team at the ROH, thank you – we are truly overwhelmed.”

The money was collected by ROH Associate Medical Director Mr John Va Faye, and representatives from the ROH Charitable Fund and communications team. They had the opportunity to enjoy a special lunch with staff and a group of students, some of whom were involved with the fundraising from beginning to end. The group discussed future opportunities the Trust could work with Alleyn’s and will ensure the funds go towards something the children are passionate about.

We cant thank the staff members and pupils enough for their passion to support us. We will be engaging them in the near future of how their funds will impact patients at ROH.

Para-swimmer Tully Kierney visits ROH Fundraiser

Written by Royal Orthopaedic Charity on December 20, 2019. Posted in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

This December Para-swimmer, Tully Kierney drove all the way from Manchester to surprise one of our renowned fundraisers, Autumn.

Autumn, who is a scoliosis patient at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, raised over £700 earlier this year by forfeiting her birthday presents for donations to the hospital. We used the funds she raised to renovate one of our young adult rooms on our spinal ward.

We wanted to do something special to thank her for her support. When we asked Tully if she would be interested in surprising Autumn when she visited the room, she instantly said ‘yes’ and couldn’t wait to meet her.

Tully has been a patient at the ROH since 2010 and has recently been diagnosed with scoliosis. Despite having cerebal palsy, dystonia and now scoliosis, she has become a world champion para-swimmer. Tully is an advocate for ROH and an avid follower of the Trust on Twitter, so knew all about Autumn and her fantastic her fundraising story.

Autumn, her mum Anna and younger sister Violet, visited the hospital and were shown photos of the room autumn funded and got to hear some of the amazing feedback families had given in regards to the renovations.

Tully brought along her medals for us all to look at, and Autumn was mesmerised by the weight of them. There was a lot of inspiration in the room. You could see that Autumn and her family were all in awe of Tully and all that she has achieved, but also Tully was undoubtingly inspired by Autumn and her generous nature at such a young age.

Tully and Autumn had a lot in common, and talked about some of the lovely staff in the orthotics department who have helped them over the years. They joked about the patterns available for braces, and that they would change every time they would visit, which made it even harder to choose.

You’ll probably notice Autumn is holding a Giraffe in her photos. This was a gift given by the executive directors at the ROH for her fundraising efforts. The giraffe has a body brace, just like the one that Autumn used to wear, and also the same pattern that Tully uses on her foot braces.

Tully wanted to do something to show Autumn how much she cared. She made Autumn her very own Christmas decoration to take home, which was a really lovely gesture. They all had a fantastic time, and everyone left feeling in high spirits and motivated to do more.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Tully for taking the time to visit us and Autumn. It was a lovely surprise and one that we’re sure they will remember for years to come.

Patient’s generous legacy gift funds state-of-the-art regenerative medicine laboratory at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital

Written by Royal Orthopaedic Charity on December 17, 2019. Posted in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

In 2014, former Royal Orthoapedic Hospital (ROH) patient, Mr Michael Dubrowsky passed away and left a significant legacy gift to the ROH Charitable Fund following treatment he received at the Trust for chondrosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. This generous gift has enabled ROH to invest in a new state of the art regenerative medicine laboratory – The Dubrowsky Regenerative Medicine Laboratory.

The laboratory was officially opened on Tuesday 17 December 2019 by Dame Yve Buckland, Chair of the ROH, in a ceremony which had representation from ROH colleagues, research partners, patients and well-wishers. Speakers included Professor Philip Begg, ROH Director of Strategy and Delivery; Mr Adrian Gardener, ROH Director of Research and Development & Consultant Surgeon; Dame Yve Buckland and Mr. Dubrowsky’s close friend, Anne Brookes.

Located close to theatres on the main ROH estate, the lab will have a focus on chondrosarcoma and cartilage research, and will enable ROH to continue to lead the scientific community in the development of understanding and treatments for this rare disease.

What does the launch of the Dubrowsky Regenerative Medicine Laboratory mean for ROH?

Having its own fully equipped laboratory will give ROH a degree of impact within the Birmingham medical science community beyond anything it has had before.
ROH clinical researchers and support staff will have brand new facilities that showcase the hospital as a serious research partner, increasing opportunities for researchers to engage with each other and to encourage new partnerships.
The lab will give ROH an opportunity to foster international collaboration in the field of chondrosarcoma.

Professor Phil Begg, Executive Director of Strategy at ROH said: “This new laboratory will enable our Trust to conduct even more ground-breaking research into rare cancers and orthopaedic treatments. The legacy of Michael Dubrowsky is monumental and will have an impact for many years to come.”

Leaving the Charitable Fund a gift in your will is one of the most valuable and lasting ways you can support us. It costs nothing during your lifetime but will have a powerful impact for years to come. To find out more click here.

Watch the BBC Midlands Today piece about the launch of the laboratory here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/midlands-today17122019

Charity Christmas Ball 2019

Written by Royal Orthopaedic Charity on December 9, 2019. Posted in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

On Friday staff from the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital let their hair down at our annual Charity Christmas ball, with all proceeds going towards our all-important Christmas Appeal. We’re pleased to announce £2,350.35 was raised through ticket sales, raffle tickets & fundraisers leading up to the event.

The generosity we received this year was incredible. We are so grateful to Sally’s Events who helped to make the room look incredible, as well as Tilly’s Treats Balloons. DJ Lee Entertainment got us all dancing & Suave Snaps also did a great job photographing how much fun we all had.

The raffle went down a storm. We were very lucky to have many raffle prizes donated towards the event, we’d like to say a huge thank you to every single one. We couldn’t have done it without them!

Thank you to:

Symphony Hall Birmingham
Venture Studios photography
Coombe Abbey
West Bromwich Albion
Roman Baths, Fashion Museum and Victoria Art Gallery
Worcestershire Racecourse
Sadler’s Brewey
Birmingham Rep
Geraghty’s Butchers

Escape room Birmingham
Stratford upon Avon butterfly farm
Dudley Zoological Gardens
Becketts Farm
Teamworks Karting Ltd
Barefoot Yoga
Oak Tree Generous George
Monkey Forest Trentham
Webbs Garden Centre
The Warwickshire Golf & Country Club

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who attended & joined in the fun.

You are all amazing.

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Giving Tuesday 2019

Written by Royal Orthopaedic Charity on December 4, 2019. Posted in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

Our Giving Tuesday Fundraiser went down a storm today, we were visited from patients, the public and staff across the hospital. We had so much fun, photos were taken, cake was eaten, and funds were raised for our all-important Christmas appeal.

We had a range of activities organised by staff members Victoria, Jenny & Tracey all acclaimed fundraisers within the hospital & their own teams.

You name it, we had it…. a bake sale, how many sweets in the jar, guess the missing ingredient, a raffle and last but certainly not least a ‘win every time’ lucky dip!

We were very lucky and had some fabulous prizes courtesy of our local community. A big thanks to staff at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Sainsburys Selly Oak, Cake Mole – Rachel & Morrisons Bromsgrove for their support. They donated over £100 worth of goodies towards our fundraiser, and we genuinely couldn’t have run the event without their support.

A very passionate oncology patient in the hospital also gifted £50 towards our activities on the day, which was an incredibly lovely gesture. He himself had lots of fundraising experience so we used one of their ideas to raise even more money for the charity.

Throughout the event we were promoting the wonderful work of the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, and sharing stories of how your donations help. Donations support patients & families who need it. Our Christmas appeal, is just one of the many funding streams supporting those individuals.

We raised an incredible £280.85, a huge victory!

Don’t forget to get involved in our latest competition and be in for the chance of winning a £30 Love2Shop Voucher.

This Christmas we want you to get involved! We're asking our patients & staff to take a festive themed picture of themself, with a caption explaining why @ROHNHSFT is special to them! By taking part you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £30 love2shop voucher! 🎄 pic.twitter.com/PM1Bs2g4iE
— ROH Charitable Fund (@FundRoh) December 2, 2019

Stomper Success

Written by Royal Orthopaedic Charity on November 25, 2019. Posted in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

Fundraisers from the Stomper Crew raised an amazing £1105.55
towards our cause and we couldn’t be more grateful!

The Crew, consists of Peter, Kevin, Paul & Rob, all incredible
DJ’s who like to make a difference. They come together and dedicate at least 4
gigs a year to charities that mean something to them, and this time they chose
us!

This time they chose to support us after Kevin’s wife Julie
suggested so. Julie has worked for the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital for many
years and wanted to give something back to support the patients.

The night consisted of the Crew performing with Vinyls throughout the night in a range of music styles. They asked for a entrance fee, as well as held a raffle with prizes donated from the local community.

They raised over £1000 on the night, enough to fund a new
entertainment unit, complete with Smart TV, games and console for one of our
young adult rooms.

We are working with Julie and the crew to put this money
towards one of our improvement projects that we are currently working on.

We are so thankful to Julie & the ‘Stomper Crew’ for choosing to support us as well as all those who contribute to the raffle. This money will make a real difference to patients and families at ROH.

World Radiographer day celebrations!

Written by Royal Orthopaedic Charity on November 11, 2019. Posted in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

On Friday Radiographer- Liz Loach, & the ROH Imaging team held their very own fundraiser, promoting World Radiographer day as well as raising money for their department.

With the help of Society of Radiographers (SoR) the team raised awareness of imaging careers as well as the history behind radiography. The day is celebrated on the 8th November each year, and marks the anniversary of the discovery of x-radiation by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895.

Liz and the team continuously look for ways of improving patient experience across all imaging services and use their passion to help them raise money each year. They raised an incredible £229.89, through a bake sale, quiz and tombola.

They are currently evaluating patient feedback to see how this money can be spent to improve patient experience within the imaging waiting areas.

Thank you to all who visited the stand in outpatients and helped us celebrate the wonderful work of our imaging team.

A big well done to Liz, & imaging team for leading on this celebration with very little support from the fundraising team. They are amazing!

Get involved

If you have experienced imaging services at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital and would like submit an improvement idea, simply email roh.charitablefunds@nhs.net and we’ll get back to you.

Birmingham Half Marathon Triumph!

Written by Royal Orthopaedic Charity on October 17, 2019. Posted in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

Our wonderful fundraisers braved the rain and ran a total of 13 miles in aid of our cause this Sunday.

All our fundraisers had a very personal connection with the hospital
which drove them to almost double their fundraising targets.

Matthew and Natasha both were fundraising to say thank you
for the care their daughter received over the last couple of years for a spinal
condition called Scoliosis. Erin’s care was life changing for her and her
family, so much so she’s now back to a sport which she loved!

“Erin has actually gone back to running parkrun over the past few weeks; pain free; something she could have only dreamt of before” Mum – Natasha

Adam Roberts, another of our fundraisers had a hip resurface
at the hospital some years ago and because of his great experience of the
hospital, decided to apply to work there. Safe to say he was successful and has
been working for the trust for some years.

“Not only did ROH give me a new lease of life, I am also lucky enough to work for the Trust. So I have personally experienced, and also get to see on a daily basis, the amazing job all of the staff do for our patients”

Its truly humbling to see such support from our community,
towards such an important appeal.

We have raised a total of £856 including gift aid towards the Eureka Appeal.

This will support an extra 56 hours of research nursing on
specific projects which is incredible.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to all our fundraisers, who went above and beyond to reach their target, raise awareness and promote our charity!

Visit their JustGiving pages:

Author: Royal Orthopaedic Charity