THE NHS endowment funds have given more than £1 million over the last year in support of projects and as grants.
The Dumfries and Galloway NHS Board Endowment Fund is a registered charity which aims to improve the physical and mental health of people living in the region.
The charity supports projects and initiatives not normally funded by the health service, and over the past year it has:
- helped provide new technology to help people with dementia and dementia-like illnesses
- backed a development programme for young people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder and additional support needs
- supported training for health and social care staff around outcome-focused conversations
- funded initiatives within the new Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, including the provision of entertainment systems in every patient room and the creation of a hospital arts strategy.
Praising what has been achieved over the past year, NHS Dumfries and Galloway Chief Executive Jeff Ace said: “Endowments are capable of delivering an incredible amount of extra support within healthcare, and so I am delighted that money which people have gifted so generously has been used to such great effect.
“Health services within our region currently face significant financial challenges.
“Endowments cannot, and never will be, used a solution to those challenges, but what they can do is help to enhance services and staff capabilities beyond what we’re required to provide, and to support projects in the third sector and within our communities.”
Mr Ace added: “We’re grateful to every single person who has contributed to the NHS Board Endowment Fund and want everyone to know just how much of a positive impact their legacy is continuing to deliver.”
Support from the Dumfries and Galloway NHS Board Endowment Fund includes backing for the learning and development needs of NHS staff across the region.
Donations are provided to smaller charities in the region that provide an essential voluntary service to the community.
The fund allows the purchase of equipment in addition to, or, complementary of that provided by the NHS Health Board.
And it provides support for respite holidays for patients, family members and carers in relation to mental health and learning disabilities.
Several projects have been supported by the Dumfries and Galloway NHS Board Endowment Fund over the past year, and some of these have included:
Power of Attorney Campaign
A campaign aimed at promoting the importance of Power of Attorney was mounted by the Delayed Discharge Partnership Board.
It was backed by the Charity in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council.
The campaign utilised a number of communication routes including the local radio, posters and leaflets, public website and local newspapers.
Phyllis Wright from the Regional Statutory Mental Health Team said: “We were very grateful for the support which was given to this campaign, which highlighted the importance of ensuring individuals had the correct support in place to help them with decisions regarding their well-being.
“Having a Power of Attorney ensures that their wishes are met even if they cannot communicate these themselves.
“Thanks to the campaign we saw a significant rise in Power of Attorney applications as compared to 2016 with over 4000 applications made to date, and we’re delighted that a further follow-up campaign for 2018 has been agreed to be supported by the Charity.”
Exercise to Happiness Project
A three-year initiative spearheaded by the local Greystone Rovers Foundation aims to provide exercise and football to specific groups of people in the community.
Alisa Templeton from the Foundation said: “We are working to provide exercise to people who would not normally have access to these services due to physical or mental illness.
“Funding from Dumfries and Galloway NHS Board Endowment Fund has allowed the Greystone Rovers Foundation to employ fully trained and experienced instructors to provide a personalised exercise regime to those individuals attending.
“We’re delighted with this support, and now intend to roll out our exercise programme across the region over the three years.”
One individual benefitting from the programme said: “The football group is a brilliant group that has helped me to overcome my social anxiety and mental health problems.
“When I first started going to the group I was very nervous and paranoid about being out of the house. I remember that for a few months I was scared to go out of the house into the public.
“But even though it was difficult to get over my mental health problems the football group was amazing for my confidence and overall self-esteem.
“The people that run the group and the other patients are lovely people and I appreciate their love, kindness and support.
“They have been a big help in my recovery and I thank them from the depths of my heart.
“The football group is a brilliant way for people like myself who have suffered from depression and anxiety to improve their well-being through physical exercise and great support.
“Football is my favourite sport and it is a great group that I hope goes from strength to strength.”
Good Conversations Training
Support has been given to the Health Board’s Learning and Development team to introduce and roll out Good Conversations training across the Integrated Joint Board partnership.
Joan Pollard on behalf of the Learning and Development team said: “Thanks must be offered to the Endowment committee for their generous support of the Good Conversations training programme.
“The Good Conversations is superb training designed to support staff across Dumfries and Galloway to have outcomes focused conversations with both colleagues and the people they are supporting.
“These types of conversations aim to focus upon what’s important and what matters to the individual and their life. This ensures the support offered is designed to work with them to achieve their aspirations.
“The approach helps build confidence within the individual by developing and using their skills and strengths.
“Feedback so far has been very positive with evidence of the impact of a changing approach becoming increasingly apparent.”
Magic Table – Dementia Support
The Dumfries and Galloway NHS Board Endowment Fund is keen to support innovative and ground-breaking technology that supports the health and wellbeing of both patients and the community within Dumfries and Galloway.
A good example of this was the provision of support in the purchase of new technology for individuals living with a diagnosis of dementia or other forms of cognitive impairment.
The technology has been specifically designed to encourage individuals to move, speak and interact more thanks to a range of games, visual elements and fun sounds.
Denise Moffat, General Manager for Mental Health, Learning Disability and Psychology, said, “This technology is very new to the market and as such NHS Dumfries and Galloway are one of the first Health Boards in Scotland to embrace this opportunity.
“Our aim is that this equipment will help to improve the experience for individuals throughout their inpatient stay at Midpark Hospital and provide invaluable research material to support future expansion of this type of technology across the region.”
The Equal Future Project
An invitation for funding applications from third sector organisations involved in health and wellbeing resulted in a large number of enquiries.
One of these came from The Usual Place (TUP), which delivers strengths-based Personal Development/Citizenship Transitions Programmes to young people aged 16 to 26 with Learning Disabilities, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and Additional Support Needs.
Heather Hall, Chief Executive Officer of The Usual Place, said: “We received an award from the charity for a programme to support the development of transferable life skills for the young people involved in this organisation.
“This includes the development of self-worth, confidence, problem solving skills, communication skills and resilience to name a few attributes.
“In addition, the young people will also gain nationally-recognised qualifications to support their progress into full-time work.”
The new District General Hospital
One of the key changes within Dumfries and Galloway over the last year was the opening of a new District General Hospital, in December 2017.
The Charity was very proud to support a number of projects and initiatives that supported the development of the new hospital.
NHS Chief Operating Officer Julie White said: “The funding provided by the Charity was used to directly benefit the patients that would be attending the facility, including the introducing of a new state-of-the-art patient entertainment and information system installed in every patient room and patient waiting area.
“This system is free to use and is highly configurable. Patients not only have access to a number of television and radio channels but also educational material bespoke to their ailment. For example, the physiotherapy department can show exercise regimes for patients via the entertainment system to help support their recovery.
“Meanwhile, support was received for the arts strategy and in particular a project entitled ‘Sensitive Spaces’.
“This project supported the introduction of softer art and furnishings in what normally would be a very clinical area. Such areas are used for grieving families or undertaking difficult discussions. The main objective of the project was to add sensitivity to these areas through art.
“And in association with the local Stillbirth and Neonatal Deaths (SANDS) group, the Charity will be helping support the creation of a memorial garden within the new hospital’s grounds. This will be named ‘The SANDS Memorial Garden’.”
Alexandra Unit Garden, DGRI
In recent days, additional flowers and shrubs have been purchased and planted to brighten the garden and patio area outside the Alexandra Unit at DGRI.
This area is available for the Alexandra Unit patients and visitors.
The recent good weather has enabled staff to push patients in their hospital beds out into the sunshine.
It was felt fitting to supplement the garden area with bright and scented foliage, helping to ensure the area is welcoming for all who use it.
