Celebrating 8 Years of BCHC Charity!
Over the years, BCHC Charity have worked hard to support our Team BCHC colleagues, patients, and service users. As we turn 8 this week, we’re taking a look at some of the spectacular stories that illustrate just how much your support can make a real difference across the Trust:
2017: BCHC Charity introduced live music sessions to help boost morale, alleviate boredom, and reduce stress for patients and staff. Although these sessions had to go on hold during the pandemic, we were able to reintroduce them in 2022, and other activities such as dance, relaxation workshops and crafts kits, thanks to funding received for our Arts & Culture in Health programme. To date, since the relaunch of the programme in 2022, 4,574 patients, service users and staff have taken part in 96 bespoke art sessions from 31 different freelancers!
2018: Delighted pupils and nurses gave the thumbs-up to the new décor and furniture in the clinic room at Victoria School in Northfield, funded by BCHC Charity. One member of staff said: “Many of the care plans discussed in school with nurses and consultants come at what is a very difficult time for families, and we have been very aware that the doctor’s clinic room needed some ‘TLC’ for sensitive conversations of this kind. We now have a beautiful, vibrant room which is inviting for pupils and their families which means that, whether they are receiving good or difficult news, it will be delivered in a more positive environment.”
2019: Following the successful launch of the therapeutic playground in 2018, children accessing the Specialist Amputee Service at the West Midlands Rehabilitation Centre were treated to a fun-filled Christmas party including a performance from a Disney Princess, a very comedic DJ magician, and Santa himself, thanks to the remarkable staff and anonymous donor who made the dream into a reality.
2020: With the declaration of a pandemic, it became more important than ever for BCHC Charity to support patients, service users and Team BCHC staff. During 2020, over £63,500 was spent on COVID support for patients, such as ‘stay at home’ activity packs for Learning Disabilities services, entertainment and comfort items for inpatients, and bereavement support such as the refurbishment of the Dandelion Room at Moseley Hall and the introduction of Memory Boxes at West Heath. A further £43,000 was spent on staff wellbeing, including mindful activity supplies, small items such as hand creams and lip balms to help sooth lips chapped from mask use and sore hands from extra washing, and a years’ license to provide Schwartz Rounds™ sessions. These sessions to help colleagues decompress and share their experiences of working in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflecting on their work is key for BCHC colleagues to improve their emotional wellbeing and help maintain a compassionate approach; this reflective practice allows colleagues to appreciate the challenges and rewards that are central to providing care.
2021: This year saw the launch of our Safe Spaces scheme, which aims to improve and enhance indoor and outdoor spaces across the Trust to ensure that patients, service users, visitors and colleagues have peaceful and comfortable spaces to decompress. Since the launch of the scheme, we have spent over £12,500 on enhancing garden spaces across the Trust through the provision of outdoor seating, tables, plants, and gazebos, allowing people a space on site to get fresh air and enjoy the outdoors comfortably. A further £6,000 has been spent on improving staff rooms with new or extra seating, beautiful murals and artworks, and hot drinks facilities. There are lots of ongoing projects within this scheme too; watch this space for more news in the future!
2022: Thanks to funding from NHS Charities Together, BCHC Charity held our first Healthy Communities Family Fun Day at the MAC Birmingham on Wednesday 26 October. Over 300 people from all over Birmingham enjoyed an educational and fun-filled day packed with Halloween crafts, sports activities, and learning games. The event aimed to help educate families from all walks of life on healthy living by providing information and activities around healthy eating, how food impacts the body, growing your own vegetables, encouraging physical activities, and much more. Stands included BCHC services such as our Falls Prevention Team who performed walking stick 'MOTs', and the Healthy Hearts team who trained up 200 CPR Superstars at the event.
2023: BCHC Charity, in conjunction with funding from Caring Minds and The 4 Tall Trees, installed a new green gym at Moseley Hall Hospital. The gym offers an outdoor safe space for patients and staff to spend time working towards their fitness goals and prioritise their physical and mental wellbeing. Councillor for Moseley ward, Izzy Knowles said, “Exercise and fresh air are so important for our mental and physical health. This is a wonderful addition to facilities for patients, staff, and the local community.”
2024: The Enhanced Care Team approached the charity with the idea for ‘Birthday Boxes’, explaining that some patients don’t have family or friends who are able to visit them on birthdays, often not celebrating at all. The charity supplied a Birthday Box each for inpatient wards across the Trust, which contain decorative banners, birthday cards, balloons, and party hats; everything ward staff need to help a patient celebrate a birthday! Staff on Ward 14 at West Heath have used their box twice already, and reported that it made the patients feel special, and really brought some smiles to the ward on those days.
We couldn’t have done all of these incredible things without the help of all of our supporters. The Charity Team would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported the charity over the past 8 years; it’s thanks to your donations, fundraising, volunteering, and support that we’ve been able to make such a difference.
If you would like to know more about BCHC Charity or find out how you can help us continue in our mission to enhance patient care for many years to come, feel free to contact the team.