The Difference - Issue 2

The Difference ISSUE 2

SPRING/SUMMER 2025

Support your local hospitals’ charity for a future where we’re healthier together – delivering exceptional care for all Find out more about your local hospitals charity and the difference you make www.dbthcharity.co.uk 01302 648282 Registered charity number 1057917.

Thank you from your hospital charity

Your donations and amazing feats of fundraising help thousands of patients and colleagues across South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire, funding lifechanging projects for your local hospitals.

Your support helps colleagues like Stacey.

Stacey is the Ward Manager for the Children’s Outpatients Department at Doncaster Royal Infirmary. She submitted a funding request to our charity to develop a new multi-sensory room to support patients with additional needs, including children with autism, cerebral palsy and visual impairments.

2

The team needed a private, calming environment for children and young people when attending vital appointments. The room will also be used for physiotherapy sessions, calming needle phobic children, or, when not in use, for staff to take a brief break in a relaxing environment.

This wonderful sensory room has been made possible with thanks to the donations we receive from incredible people like you. Thank you so much for helping us make a huge difference to children and young people across South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire.

You can find out more about this wonderful new sensory room on pages 6-7.

Here’s how our charity works:

Contents Page 4 About your hospitals charity Page 5 The difference you make

01 Donations come into Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity from our wonderful community.

Pages 6-7 A brand new sensory room for Doncaster Royal Infirmary Page 8 Celebrating £15,000 raised with Albemarle Homes Page 9 Fundraising Hall of Fame

02 Colleagues across DBTH apply for funding through our charity focusing on projects such as staff welfare programmes, patient and staff amenities, research and development or improvements to hospital environments.

Page 10 Thrill-seekers take on the The Big DRI Abseil Page 11 Support your local hospitals charity

Get in touch Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity Communications & Engagement Office Doncaster Royal Infirmary

03 With the support of our colleagues, we reinvest donations in amazing projects across DBTH, where it’s needed, when it’s needed most.

Thorne Road DN2 5LT Tel: 01302 648 282 Email: dbth.charity@nhs.net Web: www.dbthcharity.co.uk Follow us on:

04 Together, we help DBTH to go further for those who need us now and the generations to come.

DBTHCharity Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity 3

About Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serve a population of more than 440,000 across South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire, and surrounding areas.

Together with our supporters, we ensure that the ongoing needs of our hospitals, and communities, are met by going over and above what the NHS can provide alone.

The support you give us enables us to fund things like: Patient and staff amenities Staff welfare programmes Research and development Improvements to hospital environments Specialist medical equipment Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity works closely with the Trust to support the trust vision - healthier together With your help, we can continue to make a difference, be healthier together and – delivering exceptional care for all. deliver exceptional care for all.

The Trust delivers high-quality healthcare services through its main hospital sites – Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Bassetlaw Hospital and Montagu Hospital – as well as a number of smaller clinics.

4

The difference you make (£40,000)

Thanks to a large volum e of donations to our Medical Day Unit at Ba ssetlaw Hospital, we hav e been able to fund an im pressive and much ne eded transformation to the unit improving the ove rall experience and environ ment for patients. Fro m more comfortable chairs, to home comforts like televisions, to a dedic ated waiting area to fam ilies to wait for their loved on es.

d young people ents for children an es pr as tm ris Ch of ded a range ent. This enabled Your donations fun Outpatients Departm ’s ren ild Ch r ou it s who vis for each child. with additional need at would be suitable th ts gif k pic to rs y leade our hard-working pla

(£207)

(£6,067)

The Emergency Departm ent can be a frightenin g place for anyone, but for children and young people with neurological disorders or additional needs, it can be incred ibly overwhelming. To help, we funded the Rhino Se nsory Voyager cart. This special piece of equipment provides a range of sensory based experien ces using light, sound and touch. This mobile piece of kit will be used by colleagues to visit different bed bays and the waitin g room.

number of ary we have a scuss ter Royal Infirm as nc ve news and di Do iti at ns k se oc er Bl liv h ut de So to r ed ing, Within ou sometimes us ide better light oms which are nment and prov ro vi en on g k in or consultation ro lm tw d ar te a ca som designs an s. To help crea treatment plan with cherry blos s ht lig g u. ilin yo ce e beautiful people lik we’ve funded ible thanks to en made poss be s ha ch hi w the walls

(£3,517)

5

The difference you make - £14,000 sensory room to transform care for children with additional needs Early Skills group since 2023, explained how the room has made a huge difference to her daughter’s ability to play.

Charlotte said: “We love the sensory room.

The lights really help her relax which then allows me to get her in good postural positions.

Thanks to the amazing support we receive from our communities, Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity has been able to invest £14,245 into a wonderful new sensory room for the Children’s Outpatients Department (OPD) at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

“It is absolutely brilliant for my daughter and her needs. Her face lights up as she really enjoys it.”

The room will also be used for physiotherapy sessions, calming needle phobic children, or, when not in use, for staff to take a brief break in a relaxing environment.

This brand new room will support children and young people with cerebral palsy, autism and visual impairments providing a range of specialist equipment including a kaleido projector, fibre optic curtain and a colourful bubbling water tube.

Stacey Nelson, Senior Sister for Children’s OPD, said: “This project will help us massively to support our patients with additional needs.”

Amongst the long list of benefits to patients are developing communication to encourage vocalisation, improving balance and spatial orientation and for children with visual impairments, strengthening their eyes.

Charlotte, whose daughter has cerebral palsy and has attended the department’s 6

Stacey said: “The opening of our sensory room marks the return of a vital provision within the department and the hospital.

“Young patients now have access to a calming space that they can associate with trips to the hospital, making their visits less anxiety-inducing or stressful.”

Since the closing of the previous sensory room due to COVID restrictions and

unsuitable equipment, staff were unable to offer a relaxing sensory space to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) patients and those within the Early Skills group.

Jill Hynes, Nursery Nurse within Children’s OPD said: “The room works brilliantly to adapt to the needs of the child using it.

“It also makes for great bonding time for parents and children.”

Teams within Children’s OPD, Therapy Services and Speech & Language will all use the room to support SEND patients.

In its new location, there is also the opportunity to bring children with complex medical needs to the room – something that was not viable in its previous location, Stacey explained.

Nadesha, whose 3-yearold also has cerebral palsy and attends the department regularly, is particularly fond of the fibre optic curtain.

Nadesha said: “My daughter just absolutely loves it and she is much more active in there.

“It is a beautiful sensory room.”

The room comes with lots of adaptable features, such as music and light isolation or customisation.

Stacey said: “From start to finish, the project took around a year to complete and it has really brought us together as a team.”

Alongside support from Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity, the team helped raise funds to make the room possible through a skydive, a bake sale and a raffle.

their role, Stacey explained.

Stacey said: “Staff can utilise their enhanced skillset here and we hope this will improve their sense of worth, job satisfaction and provide the resources they need to do what they do best.”

Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity is now looking to support another sensory room for the Children’s Ward at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and has also recently funded a range of equipment through the Bassetlaw Hospital Emergency Village Appeal for the Children’s Unit at Bassetlaw Hospital.

Former staff member Sharon Allen donated £1,270 to the project, honouring her late brotherin-law Peter’s wish for all funeral donations to fund department equipment.

Stacey continued: “Everyone has been so supportive and there has been a clear boost in team morale.”

Having the room as a tool will help staff feel fulfilled in

These projects are only possible thanks to your support. We are deeply grateful to everyone who donated—your generosity will impact thousands of children each year.

7

Celebrating £15,000 donated by local house builder, Albemarle Homes

Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity is delighted to celebrate alongside Doncaster housebuilder, Albemarle Homes, the success of our ongoing partnership raising over £15,000 to date.

In 2021, the charity and house builder launched a strategic partnership which sees Albemarle Homes donate £100 for every home sold at its Westmoor Grange development in Armthorpe and the now completed Vicarage Fields development in Beckingham.

In return, the charity supports with promoting their fantastic key worker discount which has supported in the sale of a number of homes across both developments.

The partnership has made a huge difference, helping to fund vital projects across our hospitals that make a real difference to patients and their families.

8

Darryl Barker, Managing Director of Albemarle Homes, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with how well our partnership with NHS Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity has worked. To have raised £15,300 is a fantastic achievement, and it’s amazing to see the real impact these funds have had.”

The money raised has helped to support specific projects such as the Serenity Suite at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and children’s playground at Bassetlaw Hospital.

The ongoing commitment by Albemarle Homes will ensure that the Charity has funds to continue larger scale projects within the Trust.

Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals relies on partnerships such as this and is always looking for ways to work with other businesses across South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire. For more information or to discuss a potential opportunity, please contact our Charity Team on dbth.charity@nhs.net.

Fundraising Hall of Fame fantastic my raised a e d a c A e g cing the Norbrid rt families fa o p p su to y £7,500 . The primar of baby loss ir e th ld heartache e h p, ed in Workso t n e ev ’ school, bas n o Mo e Stars and age to p u ‘Sprint to th ry e from nurs ils p u p w sa which red sprint t in a sponso 11 taking par . school field around the

David Westwood took on the Yorkshire Three Peaks, raising an incredible £931 for the Neonatal Department at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

60 ter family donated £5 A wonderful Doncas is Th ry. nderful Mum, Ma in memory of their wo e tiv llia l support the Pa generous donation wil er Royal Infirmary.

Care Team at Doncast

Dr Shahdan raised a fant astic £544 as first ever Don part of our caster 10k te am and was fundraiser. C the top ollectively, ov er 20 individ part raising an uals took incredible £3 231 for Donca Bassetlaw Te ster & aching Hosp itals Charity.

Thank you to everyone who raises money for us and supports our hospitals, you are all amazing!

9

Thrill-seekers take 160ft plunge raising over £11,800 for Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity On Saturday 14th March, an inspiring group of 35 fundraisers took part in our first ever sponsored abseil, abseiling over 160 feet from a twin crane at Doncaster Royal Infirmary all in aid of their local hospitals charity, raising an incredible £11,844 in the process.

This exhilarating event, organised by Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity with the help of Big Bang Experiences, saw individual participants and teams from across the hospital and our local community,

enhance patient care and experience across DBTH. Colleagues from the Gresley Unit, which cares for elderly patients at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, were the largest team on the day with nine members.

come together to raise funds for areas of the hospital that mean the most to them.

Our fabulous teams included the Gresley Unit, Children’s Ward, Neonatal Unit, and International Students.

The funds raised will support projects that

The team raised an impressive £2,821 and will use the funds to enhance patient care and experience across their three wards: Mallard, Kingfisher and Kestrel.

The event’s individual top fundraiser, Andrea Butcher, raised an outstanding £1,050.

Check out our upcoming events here: Yorkshire Three Peaks – Saturday 14th June – Join us to take on the highest three peaks in Yorkshire in aid of your hospital charity.

NHS Big Tea – Saturday 5th July – Join the nation’s favourite tea party to help celebrate the 77th Birthday of your NHS in support of your local hospital.

Skydives – Take the leap of faith on either Saturday 19th July or Saturday 18th October at Skydive Hibaldstow.

The Big DRI Abseil – Saturday 20th September – Will you pledge to go over the edge for your hospitals charity?

Doncaster 10k – Sunday 30th November - Join Team DBTH at the Doncaster 10k.

For more information, or to register for one of our events, please visit: www.dbthcharity.co.uk/get-involved/.

10

What will you do to support your local hospitals charity?

Fundraise There are so many ways you can fundraise for your local hospitals. At home, in work, as a group or with your friends and family. From a bake sale, to running a marathon, everything you do no matter how big or small makes a difference.

Need some ideas? You can find out more about our upcoming events and activities here: www.dbthcharity.co.uk/get-involved/.

Donate Give a one off donation or donate little and often. Donating £10 a month really does make a huge difference as it helps us fund projects across Doncaster &

Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, where it’s needed most.

Partnerships Together, we can do so much more for our communities and joining us as a charity through your business is a great way to show your support. Whether it’s through a strategic partnership, charity of the year, or making a donation, we love to work alongside our local businesses to make an impact.

Leave a legacy Leaving a gift in your will is a wonderful way to support your hospitals. For support or more information on how your gift could help, please contact our Charity Team.

Find out more and get in touch Charity Address Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity Communications & Engagement Office, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Doncaster, Thorne Road, DN2 5LT

Telephone: 01302 648 282 Email: dbth.charity@nhs.net Follow us on DBTHCharity Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity 11

Thank you for helping us make a difference to your local hospitals Your next issue of The Difference will arrive in November 2025