Our charity exists to go above and beyond for those in Sunderland, South Tyneside and the surrounding areas.

With the generous support of our staff, patients as well as their friends and families, we fund specialist equipment, make our hospitals more comfortable for those who need them, and provide other extras that make a difference. Our work is made possible by those who donate, fundraise and volunteer to support our charity. Some have even left a gift in their will to continue making a difference even after they have left us.

The role of the charitiy is to coordinate fundraising activity and to manage the donated funds, ensuring that everything is done in compliance with charity regulations. The charity raises in excess of £1 million a year, this isn’t put in to one big pot, but spread over 300+ separate funds, all wards/departments have at least one associated fund, some have multiple funds. Staff can bid to use the funds to improve the quality of the patient experience. Smaller projects can be approved by managers with delegated responsibility for specific funds, larger projects must be approved by the Charitable Funds Committee. More information on how to apply for funds is available on the "Charity Guides" page.

Funds must be used to improve patient experience, either directly by providing better support, equipment and facilities, or indirectly by providing staff training and improved staff facilities. Charitable funds cannot be used to benefit an individual or a small group and must not replace NHS core funds. In general terms funds cannot be used to cover clinical staff salaries but it can be used to fund replacement equipment where the new equipment offers an improved service over existing equipment.

The charity is  registered with the Charity Commission as  the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust Charitable Funds (charity number 1052366).

So what has our charity done?

We support projects and initiatives ranging all the way from children's wards through to care of the elderly. It would be difficult to put all we do into one place, but here are four examples of how we make a difference.

Comfort Care Packs

We know that being with a loved one at the end of their life is both difficult and important for many.   We know family members want to spend as much time as possible at the bed side with their loved one and with this in mind our End of Life Care Facilitators have put together comfort care packs for family members who choose to stay with their loved one overnight.

The packs contain practical items to help the visitors overnight, including a blanket and pillow, refreshments and the means to freshen up at the bedside.  We have asked those who have benefited from these packs and those who responded agreed that they helped them at a difficult time.  Some comments included:

“ The pillow and blanket were particularly useful as well as the toothbrush, toothpaste and wipes- thank you for a very good , thoughtful idea”

“It’s the daft little things you always forget which are so important so thank you”

“Please continue your service - this truly touched me.  This was a brilliant gesture at my time in need - it felt like someone cared”

We have been distributing care packs since January 2019 and these are funded through the Trust’ Charity.  We would love to continue with this project and donations from the general public, no matter how big or small, really will make a difference to the comfort of relatives at a very difficult time.   

If you would like to support this project please donate to our Trust’s Charity.

Complementary therapy suite

Our Complementary Therapy room was funded by supporters of Sunderland Cancer Patient Support Centre. The room was refurbished and repurposed to become a safe, quiet place for those receiving cancer treatment to receive complementary therapies. Therapies are funded by our charity and delivered in partnership with Coping With Cancer North East.

Dialysis machines

In 2017, the time had come to update our Haemodialysis machines. But rather than simply replacing the units, our charity was able to fund an upgrade to state of the art dialysis machines, matching our equipment to the exceptional care the Renal Unit team offer.

Neonatal miniboos

Smell is extremely important for new-borns and their mothers to bond - it stimulates milk production in mothers and is proven to sooth babies. So being separated in an incubator is difficult for mothers and little ones. Miniboos are cuddly toys that pick up the scent of mother and baby, which are swapped after a few days. Babies then recognise their mother's scent when they are ready for more cuddles.

Critical Care Simman© training

We are fortunate to have a state of the art Integrated Critical Care Unit (ICCU). The ICCU team continually seek to stay at the top of their game, and our charity was able to fund a simulation model to support them. The model rehearses common and complex procedures so when staff do come to perform them on a patient they are confident of their skills.

If you have any questions or need advice regarding the charity please contact stsft.charity@nhs.net 

Return to Our Charity