£18,000 raised in three years for Shropshire patients fund
A fund set up to benefit patients in Shropshire at the end of their life has raised almost £18,000 in the three years since it was launched.
The Swan Fund was set up at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) in July 2015 by end of life care facilitator Jules Lewis.
It was launched with a £500 donation which was collected at the funeral of Jules’s own father, Harold, who died at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
The money raised is used to make the lives of patients more comfortable and also to help families who spend many hours with their loved ones.
Since the fund was launched it has grown thanks to generous donations from groups and individuals.
It has paid for many of the improvements that have taken place at RSH and the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
Money from the fund has been used to purchase the XCcube system, which allows the dignified transportation of a patients who have died to the Swan Bereavement Suite.
Rooms have been set up specifically for families to spend time with their loved one, away from the main bustle of the hospital, allowing for extra privacy and dignity.
Grief
Money is also used to buy vouchers for relatives for services that might help them. Leaflets have been printed with extra information to help families cope with grief.
The fund is also supported by The League of Friends of the RSH and the Friends of PRH.
They help produce Swan Memory Boxes, which are given to families who are encouraged to fill them with special items that can be kept as a reminder of their loved one.
Jules said: “Death and dying is very difficult to deal with, even for staff who work in hospitals, but helping patients and their families at their time of greatest need is hugely important to us and the Swan Fund helps us achieve this.
“It always amazes me how many bereaved families donate to the fund at the hardest of times.
“I always send a thank you card to all the people who donate and we have invited many in to officially open Swan Rooms.
“I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their kindness. All donations are used very wisely to improve end of life care at the trust.”
