Fundraising efforts by both staff and community members have helped raise 80% of the target bringing the appeal’s current total to £342k.
The scanner appeal is a joint campaign run by the League of Friends and Weston Area Health NHS Trust (WAHT). It was established in April 2016 to raise £400,000 for new life-saving digital scanning equipment and to refurbish the hospital’s x-ray department.
We have already completed an updated clinical results room and digital x-ray suite and installed new x-ray equipment. By the new year we will have improved waiting and reception areas and, most importantly, provided an inpatient trolley waiting area to dramatically improve privacy and dignity for our patients.
Chairman of WAHT, Graham Paine, said: “The tremendous effort of our League of Friends, staff, patients – and their families – along with the general public, has been very rewarding both in the money raised and the community feel to the fundraising effort.
“We are very grateful to every donor for each pound that has been given. It is especially pleasing that we have been able to deliver some of the improvements promised by the scanner appeal whilst we continue to fundraise – so that donors can see their money is being turned into improvements for our patients immediately. We of course continue to seek the final £58k over the coming months.”
Jayne Biddiscombe, Practice Development Nurse for the Medical Directorate at WAHT, said: “I am very proud to have worked at Weston General Hospital for 17 years. In that time, the generosity of the League of Friends has enabled me to purchase many items and services to make a difference for patients. I wanted to repay their generosity by helping with the Scanner Appeal by running a half marathon as a sponsored event. I asked a few colleagues if they would join me and Team SCANdango was soon formed.
“It is a team effort of long-distant runners and we all want to help the League of Friends with the fundraising for the Scanner Appeal. We are all really grateful to our families, friends and colleagues who have sponsored us to raise money towards the scanner appeal.
“We have exceeded our target and we intend to carry on raising awareness and money for the appeal for as long as it continues.”
June Stephens is the Chair of the League of Friends. She said: “To celebrate 60 years since the forming the League of Friends in Weston we decided to raise £400,000 to buy a new digital scanner; joined by the hospital trust this has been a great success. I have been amazed by the support of the volunteer members and the societies over the last two years. The hours of hard work fundraising has been extraordinary. I have been delighted to join with them to celebrate their success. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them and hope in the future they will join us to see the finished department.”
Staff in the x-ray department at Weston General Hospital are seeing the difference: “The Scanner Appeal project is going to plan and already the department is seeing the benefits. The last few months have been quite disruptive as areas have closed and then re-opened but the staff have worked around all of this as they have been so excited about the improvements that are coming. Our patients have also been brilliant putting up with noise and busy waiting areas as various sections have closed. But all have been interested in how the new department will look and pleased with the support from the League of Friends. Some patients have also seen this as an opportunity to donate funds.”
Work continues on the department as do the fundraising efforts.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Invitation to media – if you would like a tour of the department (with Trust chairman, Grahame Paine) please get in touch with the communications team by email at wnt-tr.pressoffice@nhs.net.
Photos are available to download at: http://www.waht.nhs.uk/en-GB/About-The-Trust/News-and-Media/Photos-for-media/Xray-progress-November-2018/