Our hospitals are supported by a number of charities which raise money to support projects that lie outside NHS budgets, but are often vital to enhancing patients’ health, wellbeing and experience.
Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity
The charity supports initiatives across both hospital sites, raising money for innovative treatment, equipment and research.
Harefield Transplant Appeal
Raising over £550,000 for organ care systems at Harefield Hospital
The charity exceeded its £500,000 target, raising over £550,000 to purchase organ care systems (OCS) for Harefield Hospital. OCSs, which are not currently funded by the NHS, keep donated organs viable for up to four times longer than the traditional on-ice method. This means organs can come from hospitals further away and arrive in better condition. As the UK's largest and most experienced centre for heart and lung transplants, this funding will enable Harefield’s transplant team to offer life-saving surgery to more patients, with OCSs now being used for all heart transplants at the hospital.
Nick Culshaw had a successful heart transplant at Harefield in 2018, which, in his own words, has transformed his life. He said: “Thanks to the organ care system, I was given a better chance at life by making sure the donated heart was the right match and could be kept in the best possible condition.”
#ManyMoreHearts catheter laboratory appeal
Helping to transform Royal Brompton's catheter laboratory
Each year, hundreds of patients undergo life-saving procedures in Royal Brompton’s catheter laboratory. As part of a refurbishment, funds were urgently needed for equipment. Thanks to the generosity of its supporters the charity raised over £356,000, meaning Royal Brompton’s heart patients will benefit from innovative equipment and state-of-the-art facilities. This supports provision of the best possible treatment for patients and enables them to return to their normal lives, families and friends, far sooner.
Harefield healing garden
Securing £54,000 to create a calming outdoor space at Harefield Hospital
With the support of Rosie Pope, the charity successfully exceeded its target and raised £54,000 for the Harefield Healing Garden Appeal. The garden has been designed to provide a calming, restorative space to promote physical and mental wellbeing for patients, their families and staff.
Rosie’s son Will had a heart transplant at Harefield Hospital when he was just 17, after contracting a virus that attacked his heart, resulting in end-stage heart failure. During her son’s long stay at Harefield, Rosie was inspired to create a ‘healing garden’ to support patients in their recovery.
The Patients’ Fund
Enhancing the lives of patients at Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals
Each year, the charity gives £100,000 to support various projects around the hospitals. Staff are invited to submit projects that they believe will enhance the lives of the patients. In the past year, the fund has provided portable intravenous (IV) pumps to enable patients on the urgent transplant list to remain mobile while in hospital, and six hours of live music across both sites to provide relief from boredom, stress and loneliness. NHS funding cannot fund many of these projects because they are not deemed “essential,” but staff, patients and their loved ones testify to the huge different these projects make.
The Brompton Fountain
The Brompton Fountain provides vital support for children who are being cared for by the Trust. It aims to improve the quality of life for our young patients and their families. The charity works closely with paediatric teams to provide activities, medical equipment and services that are not normally supplied by the NHS.
During the 2018/19 financial year, the charity has:
- Run numerous events and activities for children and their families including a barbecue, art workshops and Christmas parties. These events are a chance for children to relax and have fun. They also provide families with the chance to enjoy time together and meet others who have been through similar experiences.
Raised funds for numerous projects including an appeal to buy new state-of-the-art heart monitors which will provide individually tailored, second-by-second statistics for each child being cared for on our paediatric Rose ward.
Friends of Royal Brompton
The Friends of Royal Brompton has been supporting the hospital for almost 60 years, relying on a strong network of volunteers and one part-time member of staff. The charity runs two shops, operates trolley services for patients and their families on the wards, and hosts fundraising events throughout the year.
During the 2018/2019 financial year the charity funded a variety of projects, including:
- Securing £20,500 to fund an updated simulation mannequin of a young child for SPRinT (Simulated interPRofessional Team Training). Staff use the mannequin to practise the emergency re-opening of the chest of a child following a heart operation.
- Raising £10,000 to buy a cycle ergometer (bike) for the pulmonary hypertension unit. The equipment is used to measure vital signs such as blood pressure and heart rate during invasive cardiac catheterisation (a way of finding out detailed information about the heart).
- Donating £23,245 to buy a variety of equipment for the new Squire Centre day-case facility. This included patient procedure chairs, patient trolleys, blood pressure machines, a television and computer, and furniture for the discharge lounge.
Friends of Harefield Hospital
Harefield has a sister charity – the Friends of Harefield Hospital – which offers refreshments in an on-site pavilion complete with a charity shop section.
The charity’s biggest highlight during the 2018/19 financial year was funding the purchase of a new £41,000 state-of-the-art mannequin for clinical simulation training.
Representatives from the charity were delighted to see the mannequin in action when they visited the hospital’s Simulation, Training and Resource (STaR) Centre.