On Monday 5th August, ROC proudly supported the Children and Young People’s Department (CYPD) with a ‘cake-tacular’ fundraiser!

This delightful event was organised with the goal of raising funds to purchase Christmas gifts for young patients over the 2024 Christmas period, to bring a touch of joy and a welcome distraction during their hospital appointments.  

Thanks to the generous support of our hospital staff and wider community, the cake sale was a tremendous success! We were delighted with the generous donations, ranging from elegant afternoon tea boxes to yummy brownies and a mouth watering selection of cakes including chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, carrot and more! Thanks to these delicious treats, we raised an impressive total of £385! 

A huge thank you to the following businesses for their generous donations: 

• Becketts Farm 

• The Barn At Berryfields 

• Starbucks Northfield 

• Sophie’s Spoonful of Sugar 

And a special shoutout to our fantastic ROH staff for their homemade bakes: 

• Suzanne Pugh 

• Suzanne Leach 

• Anette McDonagh 

• Sarah Broadhurst 

• Marie Squire

A special thank you goes to Marie Squire, one of our ROCstars (Charity Ambassadors), who led the initiative with incredible enthusiasm. Marie’s hard work, combined with the support of our amazing donors, made this event a ‘treat’ to remember.  

If you’re interested in joining future exciting activities or becoming a ROCstar, click here for more details or get in touch: roc@nhs.net  

Jurassic Coast Ultra Challenge
Jen and Chris recently completed a challenging 26.1 mile walk from Corfe
Castle to Weymouth.

Jen shared: “It was an amazing day! It was so, so tough with steep cliff climbs
but well worth it! The scenery was stunning and extra special as it was the
coast where Chris and I spent out first wedding anniversary last year so was
nice to reminisce as we walked the route!”

Jen and Chris were thrilled to surpass their £720 fundraising target, driven by personal
motivation. Chris’ mother, who is recovering from surgery, praised the
hospital’s physio, surgical, and oncology teams for their exceptional care.

Jen, reflecting on her own history as a patient at the ROH, humorously
mentioned, “It may have been 26 years since I was a patient with ROH, but it
didn’t stop me calling on “Selly Soak” as a pick me up throughout those steep
climbs to get us both to that finish line”.

Their shared motivation and connection to the hospital made the achievement
especially meaningful and are only pounds away from raising £1,000!

Jen & Chris’ fundraising page remains open for a further few months. It’s not too late to show your support! Visit their fundraising page here: Jennifer Novakovic is fundraising for Royal Orthopaedic Charity (justgiving.com)

In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the ROH Outpatients Department has been lit up with radiant poppies. 

ROC have collaborated with local Bournville Village Primary school, as Year 4 students crafted themed bunting to adorn ROH halls, promoting remembrance. The bunting features heartfelt messages from the pupils, such as “we will remember you” and “thank you!” 

To engage our young patients in the Children and Young People’s Outpatient Department, ROC has created an activity sheet packed with D-Day history, a themed quiz, and a section for drawing, allowing them to express their thoughts and creativity. 

Adding to the commemoration, the hospital hosted a special performance by the talented Bluebird Belles, professional vintage singers, funded by the Charity. Their performance was a nostalgic tribute featuring 1940’s songs.

ROC were also proud to have funded the veterans lunch supplying very traditional fish and chips and an opportunity to share stories, for colleagues who are an Armed Forces family member, Reservist, or Veteran.

Did you know, fish and chips were never rationed during the war?  

Date: 24th April 2022

New Digital Patient Information System goes live at Royal Orthopaedic Hospital

Funding from the Royal Orthopaedic Charity has enabled a new Patient Information System to be installed at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital.

Liam Maiden, Head of IT Operations at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, comments:

“We’re really pleased to be able to offer patients staying at ROH access to information and entertainment services while they are here, to help distract them from any anxiety they may feel while in hospital and to watch their favourite programmes they’d normally watch at home.

“The device also provides digital access to our Patient Information Leaflets, physiotherapy and recovery educational videos and updates on hospital news. We wanted to be able to provide them with the best patient experience we can, and access to important information to help their recovery. Having an app they can access at their bedside gives them the freedom to watch and listen to what they want, and access the resources they need.”

The new system is based on a free, user-friendly app called Fusion which is accessed on devices available in each patient bed-space. It provides information to better inform patients about their stay, access to log in to the streaming services they subscribe to, and different ways to communicate with hospital staff and loved ones at home. Menus and options can also be tailored to suit a patient’s age, language, disability, or any learning difficulties, creating an inclusive experience for all patients.

Ruth Hughes, Royal Orthopaedic Charity Fundraising Manager, commented:

“We are proud to have made such a positive impact on inpatient stays at the hospital by not only providing entertainment, but also providing ready to use information around surgery and recovery to help educate patients too. We really hope this becomes a vital piece of equipment which both the patients and staff on the ward feel are valuable to their recovery.”

The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital began looking for a patient entertainment system following a patient survey which found patients wanted to be able to access TV while they were an in-patient, to help pass the time. The project was funded by NHS Charities Together, patient donations and sponsors including ModuleCo Healthcare, Oliver, and Natasha.   

The Trust currently has 115 devices, split between televisions and iPads which means every patient on a ward has the ability to access the entertainment system for playing games, browsing the web or log in to their own streaming services. In a recent survey of patients, 70% of respondents stated the Digital Patient Information System improved their stay.

In the future, the Birmingham Trust hopes to use the app so patients can order meals directly from their bed alongside further developments. Patients who would like to share suggestions on what they would like to be included on the Digital Patient Information System can email ideas to roh-tr.PALS@nhs.net.

In 2014, Mr Michael Dubrowsky, a former patient of the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH), made a transformative gift to ROC following his treatment for chondrosarcoma, a rare bone tumour. A successful chief engineer in the baking industry, Mr Dubrowsky led a quiet, unassuming life, yet his legacy has had an extraordinary impact. After his passing at the age of 55, he left a generous £1.5million legacy, funding the creation of the Dubrowsky Regenerative Medicine Laboratory.

This state-of-the-art facility continues to advance vital research in regenerative medicine and cancer therapies, ensuring that his legacy lives on in ground breaking medical discoveries.

Explore how Mr Dubrowsky’s £1.5 million legacy has been used to support ground breaking research and development at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital.

ChondrOx Study: Pioneering Research in Chondrosarcoma

Meet our Research Assistant: Mariella Gonsalves

Meet our Dubrowsky Lab Manager: Dr Lucas Souza

Operational Budget: Fueling Research Advancements

Celebrating ROC’s 27th Birthday

Royal Orthopaedic Charity (ROC) celebrated its 27^th anniversary on the 18^th March and the Charity team had a great time raising awareness of all things Charity!

Fundraising games included ‘Guess the weight of the cake’, ‘spin to win’, ‘guess what’s in the box’ and ‘guess how many sweets are in the jar’, bringing both staff and patients together for a bit of fun. Doughnuts and cake were also sold at a profit all in aid of ROC’s general appeal.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding to engage with so many individuals who are passionate about supporting ROC. This event has not only been about raising funds but also about forming connections within our community and highlighting the exceptional work of both the hospital and its charity. We also used this opportunity to gather ideas directly from the public on how ROC can enhance support for patients, their families and staff, by gaining invaluable firsthand insights.”

We’d like to say a huge thank you to the following businesses who donated towards this event:

• Tutto Apposto
• Swizzels Matlow Limited

Together, over £170.00 was raised for ROC’s general appeal which supports patients, staff, students and researchers across all areas of The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital.

If you would like to support the Charity in one or more of its many appeals, contact the Charity team on roc@nhs.net or call 0121 685 4379.

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ROC supports patient engagement at The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital

Royal Orthopaedic Charity (ROC) are proud to announce their alliance with The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) in supporting their regular patient feedback sessions across the hospital.

ROC regularly fund both adult and child patient led feedback sessions across the hospital, to support the vision to become the ‘first choice for orthopaedic care’. Throughout 2024 over £2,000 has been pledged to support patient feedback sessions across the Trust which are set up in a number of ways.

• Award Winning JointCare Programme

The award-winning ROH JointCare pathway for hip and knee replacement surgery, invites all patients involved back to chat with fellow patients and their care team at the programme specific ‘Coffee Catch-Up’ events.

These events are held to give patients the chance to provide detailed feedback on their whole patient experience, giving staff a valuable insight into what they do well, and perhaps even more importantly, what they could do better.

With up to 100 patients attending each event, these have been hugely important to ROH’s continuous improvement programmes.

ROC are pleased to be part of this initiative by funding the sessions room hire and refreshments available on a bi-monthly basis.

• Youth Forum

ROH’s Youth Forum was set up to extend feedback to young patients, carers and members of public who are interested in supporting the hospital. This is a relaxed session for young people with the support of health professionals which enables the Trust to discuss various topics which involve potential improvements to young people’s care.

Based at the hospital, ROC provide the refreshments at these events in the form of pizza, because lets face it, nothing is tastier than pizza!

“We are proud to be part of improving patient care across the Trust, its an integral part of our Charity purpose and one we are prioritising in 2024” Fundraising Manager – Ruth Hughes

To find out more about how you can submit feedback to the hospital, visit: https://roh.nhs.uk/patient-experience/engagement

To help support these initiatives going forward by making a donation, contact roc@nhs.net.

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Thank you to Officers and Brethren at South Lincolnshire Provincial Grand Lodge 

We’d like to say a huge thank you to, Officers and Brethren of the South Lincolnshire Provincial Grand Lodge who generously donated £500 towards our Oncology support fund this month.

Kenneth kindly visited the hospital to make the donation and detailed the reasons why the lodge have chosen our oncology service as their chosen charity this year,

“In the middle of 2021 while we were preparing to move house, my wife had a fall in the bedroom which resulted in her being admitted to Peterborough Hospital. During tests she was found to have a benign growth on her right femur. As a result, she was transferred to ROH where she was fitted with a prosthesis and after several surgeries her right hip was prepared”.

The lodge have expressed their wishes to us that funds be utilised to support new equipment within the oncology service. We are working with the service to ensure this is exactly what happens.

If you would like to support our causes, appeals or a department within the hospital, contact our Charity team. We would be delighted to support you through the donation process.

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