Newcastle Hospitals Charity – our funding themes

The charity will fund projects and ideas that fall into one of the five themes below – which all flow from the charity’s strategic aims:

Theme 1: Patient care

Why does the charity fund patient care? Excellent patient care is integral to what the trustis trying to achieve, and it’s therefore integral to the charity’s current five year strategy. Ultimately everything the charity does should feed into an improved experience for patients. This theme focuses specifically on improved clinical outcomes for patients.

What sort of things might be funded under this theme? This theme seeks to enhance or supplement standard NHS provision. It includes equipment that is medical, surgical, therapeutic in nature, or that supports patients’ mobility, rehabilitation, relaxation, or recreational needs. Examples of things that the Newcastle Hospitals Charity have funded recently include a surgical robot, radiotherapy equipment, and treatment self-help workshops.

Theme 2: Wellbeing

Why does the charity fund wellbeing? We aim to support the trust to create the best possible non-clinical experiences for patients and visitors with the aim of helping their hospital experience be as comfortable as it can be. Additionally, over 16,000 people are employed by the trust and by focusing on staff wellbeing we can support staff to deliver the best levels of service to patients in the hospital and in our communities.

How will we set up funding wellbeing proposals? There are three sub-themes as part of our wellbeing theme. Firstly, we will support initiatives that promote a healthy lifestyle both physically and mentally. Secondly, we will support improvements to the hospital environment providing both patients and staff with the best possible place to be cared for and work in. Thirdly, we will fund projects and schemes aimed at both staff and patients who are experiencing a time of hardship and difficult personal circumstances.

What sort of things might be funded under this theme? Examples of healthy lifestyle projects we have funded include counselling, patient support groups, morale boosting team activities and psychological support. Environment funding has included refurbishment of waiting / day / quiet rooms or staff rest areas, improved furniture and furnishings, artwork on the walls or music being played to help patients feel more relaxed during their stay within the hospitals. We are also supporting initiatives developed as part of the ‘Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle’ (SHINE) programme. The types of hardship schemes that have received funding include working with the Citizens Advice Bureaux to provide families and staff with advice within the hospitals, as well as supporting relatives and carers with overnight accommodation.

Theme 3: Staff excellence

Why does the charity fund Staff Excellence? The charity aims to enhance the training and development opportunities offered to staff by the trust. This helps staff to realise their ambitions to be excellent in their fields. Ultimately this translates into better care and treatment for patients.

How will we set up funding for Staff Excellence proposals? There are no sub-themes for our patient care funding. Proposals of any value relating to this theme can be submitted for assessment, and ideas and proposals for both individuals and wider teams are all considered.

What sort of things might be funded under this theme? Attendance on NHS and external courses (over and above statutorily required / trust-mandated courses), recognition programmes, awards ceremonies, attendance at conferences, organisational subscriptions to medical journals, and educational books are all included as part of this funding theme.

Theme 4: Innovation

Why does the charity fund Innovation? There is a need for effective research to find better ways of diagnosing and treating many medical conditions. Without advances the treatment options and prognosis for some patients within our hospitals will remain limited. Work is continually being developed internationally to increase knowledge and work out new approaches, and the Newcastle Hospitals have an important role to play in this.

How will we set up funding for Innovation proposals? This theme is focused on three sub-themes. Firstly, we support clinical research projects that align with the Trust’s research priorities and that can quickly be translated into patient benefit within our hospitals, promoting a patient-centred, innovative and data-enabled clinical research environment. The second theme is called invent & adopt which supports and might include the purchase of new equipment that the hospitals do not yet have and which core NHS funding does not yet cover. Thirdly, at any given time the charity may be involved in a major project – these will usually be high profile and high value projects with a value of over £1 million which the charity would specifically fundraise for. This sub-theme is not open for unsolicited proposals – the charity will work closely with the trust to identify which major project is a priority at any given time.

What sort of things might be funded under this theme? Recent examples included clinical research into Tissue and Explant Analysis of Medical Implant Failure , and Prospective Assessment of Sarcopenia in Severe Pancreatitis. As part of our Invent & Adopt theme the charity has supported the purchase of surgical robots and solid state scanners.

Theme 5: Health inequities

Why does the charity fund work to challenge Health Inequalities? Health inequities are systematic, unfair and avoidable differences across the population in relation to health and social outcomes. They arise due to the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.  For example people living in poverty find it harder to live healthy lives and harder to access NHS services. They live with greater illness and die earlier than the rest of the population. Recent studies in the North East show that life expectancy was 12.9 years lower for men and 10.4 years lower for women in the most deprived areas of Newcastle upon Tyne compared to the least deprived areas.

How will we set up funding for Health Inequity proposals? There are no sub-themes for health inequity funding. Proposals of any value relating to this theme can be submitted for assessment, and ideas and proposals for working both inside the hospitals and out in the community will be considered highly relevant.  The charity is seeking to build relationships with external organisations whose work both inside the hospitals and out in different communities focuses on access to healthcare services which might impact on hospital admissions or readmissions. The charity is also seeking to explore being a regional partner for collaborative prevention work. 

What sort of things might be funded under this theme? Projects aimed at enhancing access, experience, and/or outcomes for people facing barriers or with characteristics that place them at risk of being less healthy. Recent examples include funding a specialist nurse to work with refugee and asylum seeking families, and supporting patients with learning disabilities to help the hospitals change the way they explain services available.

If you have an idea that doesn’t fit with any of these strategic aims but you would like to explore whether we can help, please contact the charity funding and partnerships team.