Your support helps us in many ways and has done for many years.
Below are just a few things your support has helped us fund.
Children’s HDU
The Children’s High Dependency Unit (HDU) is an important part of our hospital, caring for really poorly children and young people. We wanted to improve the look and feel of the department so it felt as welcoming as possible.
With the help of passionate supporters and passionate staff, we raised enough funds to improve the Department and make it a comfortable, suitable and vibrant space for young people. This included new graphics on the wall and new entertainment equipment for patients who spend much of their time in HDU lying in bed. We also invested in new chai- beds, so that parents would find it easier and more comfortable to stay with their children during the night.
This has had a fantastic impact on patient experience and was made possible by the generous support of people just like you.
How legacy giving leaves an impact
Robert was born with club feet and as a little boy underwent many operations. Since the 1970s Robert has visited The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital for various treatments and regularly visits our Orthotic Team to have his shoes made and repaired.
Robert contacted us know that he had decided to leave us a legacy.
“I realise that if I had been born five years earlier or before, I would not have been able to walk. It is because of the treatment by dedicated surgeons and nursing staff and their colleagues that I am now fully mobile. I would like to thank the members of the Orthotics Team for their efficient and courteous service.”
During Robert’s life he witnessed many advances in orthopaedic care. His generous legacy will help us to continue to research and improve. Robert’s life has been changed by the care he has received, his legacy will help to change more lives.
New equipment for patients
In 2017 a bid was signed off to renovate the physio rehab facilities within the hospital in order to become a centre of excellence for lower limb rehabilitation.
New gymnasium equipment was purchased, which give a much more professional look to the gym. Before this was brought in, the gym was looking dated and the use of the equipment was limited. With the new equipment it makes the feel of the facilities much more professional, it means the gym as a whole is reliable and can be tailored to each individual patient need.
The new state of the art Gait/biomechanical analysis equipment, provides a detailed assessment of how our patients perform daily tasks, i.e. walking or running has been really successful so far. Before this arrived, assessments were completed by our therapy staff , meaning they would simply watch and assess. This of course can be done and can be effective, however can mean there is room for error. This has been in place for around 8 months now, and we’ve had lots of positive feedback on the thorough assessment. As this has been in place for such a short period of time we have not yet seen a progression in outcomes. We are however hoping this means less re-referrals into the system as an accurate assessment took place in rehabilitation.
When looking into renovating the gym one of the main priorities was to build a private space for patients to use if need be. This enhances patient experience as we are now giving our patients the option of using a private space rather than sharing the gym with several other patients. Two of the previous wheelchair stores have now been converted and is a safe private space for patients and therapists to perform rehabilitative massages and exercises.
Since the space has been improved there has been more workshops and activities available for patients to get involved with, in both an individual way as well as in group rehabilitation. This has significantly improved the feel of the gym, and all renovations have given users a more patient centrered feel to the space.
All these renovations have significantly improved staff morale within the physio team. They are now able to conduct thorough professional assessments and are proud to work in the gym!
Investing in our people
Every year our Learning and Development team put a bid in to Charitable Funds to support and enhance learning opportunities for our staff. Whether this be a nursing degree or an advance apprenticeship opportunity any member of staff can get involved if they need to. The trustees are always keen on using funding to excel our workforce, so is always signed off on the basis that any bids for training go through the committee first.
Dan was one of the people who applied for this funding towards an Information Technology Practitioner BSc (Hons) Top Up Degree. Paul Athey, Director of Finance, commented that Dan’s application was “the one bid with a clear return on investment” and offered the funding for Dan to complete his top up degree course. This entailed going to Coventry University every Saturday for a year and incorporated modules which enhanced his day job, such as Business Computing and Advanced Information Systems.
Dan started as a volunteer at the ROH, and quickly excelled to an apprentice. Dan is now an Infrastructure Engineer in the Infrastructure team within IM&T, a role which entails building servers and storage maintenance Trust wide. He is now the proud owner of a first-class honours degree and is using the confidence and knowledge he’s gained through furthering his career to improve the quality and range of services offered by our IM&T department.