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More than £1.7m raised for Southmead Hospital Charity
More than £1.7m has been raised for charity based at Southmead Hospital.
People from Bristol and beyond have donated to Southmead Hospital Charity’s Coronavirus Appeal to support NHS staff, patients, and Southmead Hospital during the pandemic.
Launched in March 2020, funds raised will go towards wellbeing support, new IT systems and state of the art respiratory equipment.
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Of the total, £1.25m will be invested into caring for critically ill patients at the hospital, which runs one of the largest Intensive Care Units (ICU) in the UK.
“In recent months, Covid-19 has presented an unprecedented challenge to Intensive Care Units around the world,” says Dr Julian Thompson, consultant in intensive care. “Here at Southmead Hospital’s ICU we have received inspirational support from the communities that we serve.”
The money raised will allow the hospital in implement a new clinical information system introduced to monitor and treat patients.
It will also fund state of the art respiratory equipment including a specialist ventilator and portable ultrasound machines.
Money from the appeal will also fund counselling and wellbeing support for staff, support the charity’s bereavement fund to support families of North Bristol NHS Trust staff who have lost their lives due to Covid-19.
Maureen Ellington, a healthcare assistant at Southmead Hospital, has been among those to lose their life. Photo courtesy of Southmead Hospital
Additionally, donations have been used to provide welfare packages for staff across the hospital and upgrading staff rest areas, to make them safer.
Donations will also be used in maternity, to send free scan photos to mums who can’t bring their partners to antenatal scans and to buy tablets for patients who are in hospital and isolated from their loved ones.
“We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our communities in the past few months – and we are so grateful for the ongoing support which continues to be critical to our continued work in supporting the hospital into the future,” says director of Southmead Hospital Trust, Sarah Harrison.
“We know that there is more to do to ensure the incredible staff at North Bristol NHS Trust and their patients are supported during this uncertain time.
“And our commitment to fund research into new understandings and treatments for Coronavirus is our priority which is why we need to continue our call for donations to support these ground-breaking projects.”
The charity are helping to fund coronavirus research projects. Photo: Barbara Evripidou
The charity is hoping to raise another £815,000 to support three coronavirus research projects which researchers hope will lead to new breakthroughs in fighting the virus.
“We need your help to ensure our researchers can continue making progress in fighting the virus right here in Bristol,” says Harrison. “Help us to shape a new future for healthcare.”
Main photo: Southmead Hospital Charity
Read more: Southmead researchers’ crucial role in hunt for coronavirus vaccine
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