This month saw the launch of the new Hospital Passport (HP) app at University Hospitals Plymouth. The app has been created to support people with a learning disability to be able to tell hospital staff what their needs are, what they like and don’t like and every detail that might affect their care. The Hospital Passport has traditionally been a paper document that patients needed to carry around but with today’s technology, it is more practical and efficient to use a phone or portable device, to keep the information safe and readily available. The Derriford User Group  (DUG), is a group of people with  learning disabilities and they have helped design the new digital version. Funding from Plymouth Hospitals Charity has built the app and will support the roll out of this new service.

Wednesday 15 June 2022 saw brave fundraisers abseil down the side of the 114 foot Innovation building at City College Plymouth. Plymouth Hospitals Charity, along with Friends and Families charity were chosen as the college’s Charity of the Year.

In September 2021, Sarah Bickell’s Dad was admitted to hospital after a week of suffering with COVID-19. Despite having been vaccinated, three days later he was moved into intensive care (ICU) at University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP).

During recent months, the garden behind the Post Graduate Medical Centre at University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) has undergone a remarkable makeover.

With donations received during the pandemic, Plymouth Hospitals Charity has funded the building of this new, serene garden. The main drive behind this special space is for colleagues to be able to reflect, refresh and destress - in turn, ensuring they can deliver the best patient care possible.

Thanks to a generous grant from NHS Charities Together, University Hospitals Plymouth’s (UHP) Wellbeing for All initiative is being rolled out across the Trust. Donations from across the country made to the national Emergency COVID Appeal in 2020 have made possible the distribution of money to all the NHS Charities in the UK. Plymouth Hospitals Charity was successful in its application for £198k to fund this programme.

The garden behind the Post Graduate Medical Centre at University Hospitals Plymouth is undergoing an impressive makeover. Plymouth Hospitals Charity has, with donations received during the pandemic, funded the building of this new garden. The Breathing Space Garden at PGMC is situated behind the Derriford Centre for Health and Wellbeing for our colleagues to be able to meet outdoors in an area near the nature reserve where they can be social and share food together, have some fun, good conversation and have some time out when work is hard.

On the anniversary of his second stem-cell transplant, 66-year-old Gary Bray from Bridestowe, Dartmoor, is set to undertake a mammoth challenge in the form of an indoor triple triathlon. He will be swimming 1500 metres, followed by a cycle of 40 kilometres and rowing a further 10 kilometres. As if that isn’t quite enough, he will repeat that for the next two days, totalling three triathlons in as many days- covering a distance equivalent to that of a journey from Plymouth to Weston-Super-Mare. This will all be whilst raising money for three charities that are close to his heart; Plymouth Hospitals Charity, Anthony Nolan Charity and the Hearts Together Charity. Without the help of these three, he believes he wouldn’t be here to share his story.     

The much loved ‘Secret Garden’ based in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Derriford Hospital is about to undergo a huge transformation.

The Secret Garden is a private space which can be used by patients and their loved one at every stage of their critical illness. Since the garden opened on Christmas Eve 2018, it has been used as a space for staff, patients, their families and their pets.

Joint funding from Plymouth Hospitals Charity, University Hospitals Plymouth and NHS Charities Together will now see the garden be completely transformed into the UK’s first bespoke outdoor rehabilitation space. Generous donations from the local community have allowed Plymouth Hospitals Charity to fund £250,000 towards this incredible space which will be the first of its kind.

Molly is a six year old from Plymouth with an extraordinary story. Molly, or ‘Mo’ to her family is very a happy, almost seven year old who has been through more in six short years than most people go through in a lifetime. Now her Dad, Giles, is taking on England’s longest zip-wire over the Eden Project to raise money for Derriford Children’s Wards to say thank you for the care they provided.

NHS Charities Together has granted Plymouth Hospitals Charity funding to support a new project, ‘UHP Wellbeing for All’. The initiative was designed by a multidisciplinary team including Occupational Health, Psychologists, HR and OD colleagues and the Director of People.