IMPERIAL HEALTH CHARITY NEWSLETTER SPRING 2018 GRANTS • ARTS • VOLUNTEERING • FUNDRAISING PAGES 6&7 - We did it! The More Smiles Appeal for the children’s intensive care unit at St Mary’s Hospital reaches its £2 million target INNOVATION INSPIRATION INTERVIEW Elderly care ward Resident artist Meet the eye transformed with joins the team to experts with a support from get creative with new vision for charity grant young patients patient care PAGE 2 PAGE 9 PAGE 10 CHARING CROSS • HAMMERSMITH • QUEEN CHARLOTTE’S & CHELSEA • ST MARY’S • WESTERN EYE Welcome to Focus Imperial Health Charity Chief Executive Ian Lush meets Senior Ward Sister Mojisola Hassan at the opening of the Welcome to the Spring refurbished Thistlethwayte ward at St Mary’s Hospital 2018 edition of Focus, the quarterly newsletter from Imperial Health Charity. I am delighted to announce that we have exceeded the £2 million target of our More Smiles Appeal! The money we have raised will go towards the expansion and refurbishment of the children’s intensive care unit at St Mary’s Hospital. The unit treats some of the country’s sickest children, providing a lifeline where other hospitals are simply not equipped to offer such complex care. We launched the appeal - in partnership with COSMIC charity - back in 2015 and it has taken an incredible amount of hard work and dedication to reach our ambitious target. There is not enough space here to recognise the many people who have helped us along the way. But to everyone who has made a donation or raised money - thank you. Now that we have reached our target, you might think we would be putting our feet up. On the contrary, because of the phenomenal support for More Smiles we have decided to launch a new campaign - the St Mary’s Children’s Fund. We aim to raise £500,000 a year for the next three years to continue supporting children’s services at the hospital. We are also celebrating a unique milestone this year - the 70th anniversary of the NHS. You can find out more about our plans to mark the occasion on page six and I would encourage everyone who is passsionate about the health service to raise a cuppa at your own NHS Big 7Tea tea party! Ian Lush Chief Executive, Imperial Health Charity Latest news from the charity InFocus making a difference across the Trust ABOVE: Ian Lush (right) and Sir Richard Sykes (left) join staff to celebrate the opening BELOW: (L-R) Nurses Mojisola Hassan, Annabel Rule and Selam Delaportas while a central reception desk offers greater peace and privacy for Elderly ward transformed patients. The new ward was opened at a thanks to charity grant ceremony in February by Trust Chairman Sir Richard Sykes and £1 million project to refurbish Imperial Health Charity’s Chief A one of the oldest wards at St Executive Ian Lush. Mary’s Hospital has transformed the Ian said: “We are delighted to have care environment for elderly patients supported this essential refurbish- with complex conditions. ment, which will ensure the staff on The brand new Thistlethwayte ward the Thistlethwayte ward can has been redesigned to create extra continue to provide outstanding space for beds and bathrooms, with care for elderly patients when they new lighting and artworks to help need it most. frail patients feel more comfortable. “The team of nurses here work Our grant of £320,000 made the incredibly hard day after day, night project a reality, converting the after night, to help patients with outdated ward into a modern and complex conditions - including well-equipped space. many who have dementia - and this The money from our grant was fantastic new ward will equip them also used to pay for signs, clocks and and comfortable environment for with the best possible tools for the hand rails that make the ward better our patients.” job.” suited for patients with dementia. The refurbishment was brought Cathy Gale, Lead Nurse for Special- forward and expanded when part of A grant from Imperial Health ist Medicine at St Mary’s, said: “The the ceiling in one section of the ward Charity helped to fund the Thistlethwayte ward is now a much collapsed last summer. Thistlethwayte ward refurbishment. more pleasant environment for Now with extra space for staff and To find out more about our grants patients and staff. It is airy, light and patients to move around, the risk of programme, visit open, creating a more reassuring falls on the ward has been reduced, www.imperialcharity.org.uk/grants 2 IMPERIAL HEALTH CHARITY NEWSLETTER • SPRING 2018 London Rocks! Capital’s music heritage comes to life at Charing Cross Hospital live music photographer who A was treated by top neurosur- geons at Charing Cross Hospital has teamed up with Imperial Health Charity to launch a new exhibition of his work. Richard Gray underwent a back operation at the hospital in 2016 after damaging his thoracic disc. To say thank you for his excellent care, Richard is showcasing his work for patients and staff as part of our Art in Focus exhibition series. “I could have ended up paralysed from the waist down,” said Richard, who spent five days in hospital. “It was elective surgery but their call was that we should do it. Now I’m glad we did - my legs feel stronger and I’m back to full-time work.” London Rocks! Music Venues In The Capital opened at Charing Cross in March and will move to selection of images chosen from “I hope the pictures will remind Hammersmith Hospital later this Richard’s extensive catalogue. people in the hospital of some of the year before the photographs are sold He added: “London is home to joy on offer at London’s venues.” to raise money for our hospitals. many of the country’s most famous Artists such as Royal Blood, Seal live music venues and I wanted to To find out more about our art and Father John Misty all appear choose images that show the artist collection, visit www.imperialcharity. in the exhibition, which includes a in context. org.uk/art-collections Preserving veins is particularly important for patients who require Medics’ campaign to help frequent blood tests, such as those with kidney disease or diabetes. preserve veins goes digital The best way for renal patients to have haemodialysis is via a fistula, campaign led by Imperial which was founded by consultant which is a surgically created connec- A College Healthcare medics to transplant and vascular surgeon tion between an artery and a vein. raise awareness about the Jeremy Crane and emergency The creation of a fistula relies on a importance of healthy veins has medicine registrar Christine Hall number of factors, including that a launched a brand new website. (pictured below). patient has strong and healthy veins. Funded by Imperial Health Charity, The campaign aims to educate Repeated blood tests and the in- the site is helping to spread the word renal patients and healthcare profes- sertion of IV lines results in the veins about the Save Your Vein campaign, sionals about vein preservation. becoming scarred and damaged. When this happens it can make the creation of a fistula more difficult. Co-founder Jeremy Crane said: “At Imperial we look after the biggest cohort of dialysis patients in the country, but in order to have a fistula patients need strong veins. “We have found that there is a real lack of awareness about vein preservation nationwide - and that’s why we have started this campaign. “Having a really good website is an integral part of getting this campaign out across the country.” To find out more, visit www.saveyourvein.org IMPERIAL HEALTH CHARITY NEWSLETTER • SPRING 2018 3 Raise a cuppa for the NHS and celebrate the Big 7Tea Charities team up for nationwide tea party to mark NHS 70th anniversary his year we are celebrating the T 70th anniversary of the NHS. It’s a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the innovations and achievements that have shaped our health service as we know it today - and to recognise the extraordinary staff who deliver outstanding care around the clock. To mark this very special occasion, we have teamed up with the Trust and more than 90 other NHS charities up and down the country to play a leading role in the birthday celebrations. And what better way to celebrate than with a cup of tea? The NHS Big 7Tea is a chance for To get started, visit our website to everyone who loves the NHS to download a free tea party pack with come together and celebrate its posters, bunting, selfie sticks and 70th birthday, while raising money much more to help you celebrate in for NHS charities who provide vital style. support for our hospitals. You can collect donations for You can host your own tea Imperial Health Charity on the day party, invite your family, friends and and give something back to help colleagues, and raise a cuppa for the your local hospital. NHS. To find out lots more about the The anniversary itself falls on NHS Big 7Tea and download your tea Thursday 5 July, but you can have party pack, visit www. your tea party whenever you like. imperialcharity.org.uk/big7tea How can I host my own tea party to celebrate NHS70? How you plan your tea party is 2. Spread the word entirely up to you. You can invite Choose your location, pick a date and your friends round, crack open the time and get the message out staff room tea bags or take over your local town hall.