National Lottery Community Fund awards £50,000 to UHB Charity

University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) Charity has received a grant for an incredible £50,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund towards the Keeping Families Connected project, which has been running throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

This grant will help to fund iPads and activity packs for our patients across the Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull Hospitals, at what is a really difficult time to be in hospital.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the UK, non-essential hospital visiting has been suspended, meaning that patients across UHB, whether they are being treated for COVID-19 or any other illness or injury, are not able to receive visitors.

Being in hospital is always difficult, but being unable to see your loved ones increases the mental burden on patients, making them feel isolated and lonely. Many patients will also have to spend hours alone in isolation, with minimum contact with other people. In turn, this can increase the amount of time that it takes patients to recover and return home.

University Hospitals Birmingham Charity is dedicated to supporting patients across the Trust, and launched the Keeping Families Connected initiative in response to the crisis. By funding iPads for patients, UHB Charity can help to keep families in contact with each other. The iPads that the Community Fund grant will purchase will be set up to make it as easy as possible for patients to use video-call technology to stay in contact with their loved ones.

More patients like Gladys will be able to speak to their loved ones thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund.

Sian Averill, Fundraising Manager at University Hospitals Birmingham Charity, said: “We have seen the incredible difference that can be made to our patients as the result of being able to speak to their loved ones using an iPad.

"Thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund we will be able to make sure that even more patients will be able to stay in contact with their friends and family during their time in hospital.”

The grant will also help UHB Charity to fund 3,705 patient activity packs for the hospitals, which include calming adult colouring books and a variety of puzzle and game books. The packs will also include postcards to allow patients to write to their loved ones.

Sian Averill said: “At this difficult time our staff are busier than ever and may not have the time to be the ‘friendly stranger’ for patients. These activity packs will help to keep patients entertained, and the postcards will help to keep families connected during an uncertain and distressing time.

"On behalf of our staff and patients across our hospitals I would like to thank the National Lottery Community Fund and the National Lottery players who have helped to make this grant possible. It will make a huge difference to our patients and their families."

You can find out more about how University Hospitals Birmingham Charity is supporting patients at this difficult time here.