Over £500,000 spent on staff wellbeing and patient experience by local hospitals’ charity

Many projects across Peterborough City Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon and Stamford & Rutland Hospital have been made possible through generous donations from grateful patients and their families.

Some £514,000 in donations, made to North West Anglia Hospitals’ Charity since the start of the year, has been spent on delivering a range of projects, big and small in the 75th year of the NHS.

The Charity supports the work of the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust in enhancing the patient and visitor experience, supporting staff welfare and wellbeing and enhancing services.

Celebrity Patron of the North West Anglia Hospitals Charity is Strictly Come Dancing judge and TV personality Craig Revel Horwood, who last summer visited the Trust’s hospitals to see for himself how some of the funds are being spent.

Philip Fearn, Charity Project Manager for North West Anglia Hospitals’ Charity, said: “We are extremely grateful for all the donations we receive from patients and their families – and of course to those who leave a legacy to the Hospitals’ Charity in their Will, which often comes as a result of having received excellent care at one of our hospitals.

“Charity donations are spent on a huge variety of projects, which can range from a large piece of specialist equipment for a particular department to commissioning wall art and buying plants to brighten up a patient waiting area.”

Some of the schemes in 2023 have included:

• Donations totalling £26,000 for new equipment, including an ophthalmic injection chair in the eye department at Stamford & Rutland Hospital.
• Educational toys and stickers for young patients attending the Amazon (Peterborough City Hospital) and Holly (Hinchingbrooke Hospital) Children’s Wards and interactive play tables at the children’s outpatient clinic
• Fridges and coffee machine donations to help staff maximise their breaks.
• New Sanctuary Spaces for our staff who wish to have some quiet time during their breaks, featuring comfy recliner chairs, home-like furnishings and a radio for background music.
• Improvements to the Imaging (X-Ray) department waiting room at Stamford hospital which includes redecoration, new seating and a TV to provide entertainment whilst patients are waiting for their appointment.
• Upcoming redecoration of the Bereavement Suite at Hinchingbrooke Hospital to make the area feel more supportive and comforting.
• Decorative upgrades to the specialised room for young people with mental health challenges, which makes the space less clinical and promotes calm and relaxation.

Plans for a staff wellbeing garden at Peterborough City Hospital are also in the pipeline and hope to be delivered in the New Year.

Philip added: “This year marks the 75th anniversary of the NHS and it is quite timely to acknowledge all those who donate or leave a legacy in appreciation of the work it does, as well as raising awareness locally of how people can help.”

For anyone who would like to find out how to leave a legacy or make a donation to the Charity please visit:

How you can help - North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (nwangliaft.nhs.uk).