Medical charity milestone

Pennine Acute Trust says thanks to MedEquip4Kids on its 30th birthday

EIGHT years ago The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust started working with MedEquip4Kids, the children’s health charity that provides kids medical equipment and facilities for hospitals and community health teams.

Over that eight year period MedEquip4Kids has helped the Trust by donating over £400,000 worth of much needed additional medical equipment for children and young people in many different wards and departments across its four hospitals, North Manchester General Hospital, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, and Rochdale Infirmary.

A charity which has donated more than £400,000 of medical equipment for children and young people to local hospitals today celebrates its 30th birthday.


MedEquip4Kids was founded in 1985 to help raise funds for Greater Manchester’s Booth Hall Children’s Hospital and has since raised over £20 million for lifesaving paediatric medical equipment and facilities in the North of England.

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust wished MedEquip4Kids a happy birthday and said thank you for all the help they have given the Trust and its hospitals, including the Royal Oldham, over their eight year partnership.

Mr John Jesky, chairman of the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Med Equip4Kids does a huge amount of work across the country to make sure children get the best possible care when they are sick or injured and I consider it a great privilege to have worked with them at our hospitals and seen for myself what a great difference they make to people’s lives.

Contribution

“I would like to say a huge thank you to Med Equip4Kids on behalf of the Trust and on behalf of our patients and I look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

In March this year the Trust officially thanked MedEquip4Kids for its contribution towards equipping the new emergency paediatric unit at The Royal Oldham Hospital. MedEquip4Kids provided a variety of medical equipment, seating, toys and distraction items to make sure the hospital’s new purpose built facility was fully kitted out and child friendly.

A&E staff and their families organised bake sales, sponsored runs, a sponsored leg wax and even a trek to the Himalayas during a year of fundraising, with funds boosted by local groups and businesses.

Shelley Owen, charitable fundraising co-ordinator at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Since joining the Trust in January I have had the pleasure of working alongside MedEquip4Kids as they provide further support to children’s services across our hospitals.

“The volume of donations we have received from them over the years is truly overwhelming.

“I would like to thank those who have supported the work of MedEquip4Kids by giving so generously and congratulate the charity on reaching this remarkable milestone.”

For more information about the Trust’s charity work and for details about how to donate please email charity@pat.nhs.uk or visit the Trust Charity pages www.pat.nhs.uk/get-involved/trust-charity.htm

email: lucykenderdine@oldham-chronicle.co.uk