NHS CHARITY RECEIVES £1,000 BOOST FROM BARRATT HOMES

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity – a charity focused on enhancing the healing environment for patients at Bedford Hospital and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital – has received a £1,000 donation from local homebuilder Barratt Homes.

The charity helps to support the purchase of provisions and items, such as toys for paediatric wards, specialist equipment and comfort items. It also helps to create an environment that goes above statutory requirement and strives to enrich the facilities across the two hospitals.

The charity has supported a number of impactful projects for staff, patients and visitors, including clinical psychologist support and wellbeing support for staff, and parent’s accommodation for its neo-natal unit.

Charmaine Norrish, Deputy Fundraising Manager at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity, said: “It was incredibly thrilling to hear of the donation from Barratt Homes. It’s always an incredibly humbling experience to hear of donors supporting our projects.

“The funding will support the Children’s Critical Care Room (CCCR) at our Luton and Dunstable site. The CCCR will be a dedicated resuscitation and stabilisation space, specifically designed to support the demands of a resuscitation on a young patient.

“The CCCR will offer parents and critically ill children valuable privacy and dignity as they undergo an incredibly traumatic procedure, as at present, critically ill paediatric patients are resuscitated on the ward in open bays.

“The dedicated CCCR will incorporate the right spacing, privacy and necessary equipment to enhance health outcomes for our paediatric patients.

“On behalf of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity, I would like to say a huge thank you. It’s an honour to have been selected for the Community Fund donation, and we are incredibly grateful for the support.

“Barratt Homes have been so supportive and generous throughout the process. It’ll be incredibly exciting to see the project once complete, and it’s wonderful to have them on board as a supporter.”

Amer Alkhalil, Managing Director at Barratt Homes Northampton, said: “As a leading housebuilder, we strive to support the communities in and around the areas in which we build.

“We are delighted to be able to offer Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity a donation as a thank you for all their hard work, and to help support the new Children’s Critical Care Room.”

To find out more about the work Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity does, please visit www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk/charity/.