Stars Appeal given £88K grant to support cancer patients and hospital staff
The money's come from the NHS Charities Together fund
The Stars Appeal charity's has been given an £88,000 grant, towards projects supporting people with cancer, and staff working at Salisbury District Hospital.
The money from NHS Charities Together has gone into two separate schemes.
The first is for 'pre-hab and rehab' for cancer patients - supporting their physical and mental wellbeing before and after treatment or surgery.
People are given a 12 session pass for a leisure centre, to give them a chance to keep up fitness activities they've started with the Hospital's Cancer Therapy Team.
Consultant Haematologist and Stars Appeal Hospital Ambassador, Dr Effie Grand, said:
“The prehabilitation and rehabilitation service is vital for patients. It is not something every hospital does and thanks to the Stars Appeal and this grant from NHS Charities Together we can offer our patients even more support.
"It makes a huge difference not just to their mental wellbeing during a very stressful time, but also their physical recovery from operations, chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. We’re so grateful to NHS Charities Together for this generous grant, which will help us do so much for local cancer patients.”
The second part of the grant will go towards continuing the Stars Appeal's staff counselling service for another year.
The service employs two dedicated staff counsellors who provide 100 counselling sessions each month.
Stars Appeal Staff Counsellor Pamela Kirkham said:
“To know we have secured funding for a further year from NHS Charities Together is wonderful.
“Taking care of our own mental health is essential in order to continue providing high quality care for the local community. It is known that early intervention reduces the risk of time away from work, and this service offers prompt and easy access for staff to receive support during difficult times. It is a privilege to be able to offer this extremely valuable service to the staff at Salisbury Hospital and this funding will enable myself and my team to continue to do so.”
NHS Charities Together is the national charity caring for the NHS, working with a network of over 230 NHS charities, including the Stars Appeal, to help the NHS go further for staff and patients.
Dave Cates, of the Stars Appeal, Salisbury Hospital’s Charity, said:
“We’re so proud to be a member of NHS Charities Together and to have their support. This is one of a number of grants they have provided to us over recent years which are making a big difference to local patients, families and hospital staff.”