New fund set up to support SDH staff through extra training
The Stars Appeal has put together its Education Fund
A new fund's been set up at Salisbury District Hospital's charity to help boost training for staff, without them having to fork out themselves.
The Stars Appeal Education Fund has got a £143,601 pound kickstart.
That money's come from the closure of the Salisbury Medical Society, which had similar aims.
The Society was set up back in the 1950s, but Eye Surgeon and Trustee of the Society, Roger Humphry, says they needed to move with the times:
"20 or 30 years when I started in Salisbury, there were regular monthly meetings, lectures, guest speakers. Now the world is much busier, people are much more specialised and these general lectures are not appropriate or relevant. The objectives of the Salisbury Medical Society are just not possible within the framework that we have."
The new Stars Appeal Education Fund will use the money to further medical education, training, publication and/or research of practising clinicians, nurses, midwives or allied health professionals working in the area covered by Salisbury District Hospital for the benefit of patients and staff development and wellbeing.
Peter Collins, Chief Medical Officer of Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We are hugely grateful to the Salisbury Medical Society for this incredible gift. It will enable the Stars Appeal to provide grants for educational activities to further the development of healthcare professionals working at our hospital and in the wider healthcare community.”
Dave Cates of the Stars Appeal said:
“Whilst we have been able to fund some educational work in the past, such as courses for staff in specific departments and the development of the clinical simulation suite, this new fund allows us to have a general education fund to help staff across the hospital. The additional training and education it will make possible will benefit tens of thousands of local patients and we are hugely grateful to Salisbury Medical Society for this wonderful gift and all they have done over the last 70 years.”