1 January 2020
A fund set up to benefit patients who are end of life, and their families, at Shropshire’s two acute hospitals has raised more than £43,000 since its launch.
The Swan Fund was set up by Jules Lewis, End of Life Care Facilitator at SaTH, which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford.
Jules launched the Swan Fund in July 2015 with a £500 donation collected at the funeral of her own father, Harold, who died at the RSH. The fund has now grown to £43,627.
The generous donations have come from individuals, families, organisations and also The Priory School in Shrewsbury; and they have helped to fund many improvements – including 23 Swan Rooms across both hospital sites which provide privacy and dignity for patients who at the end of their life, and their families.
Other additions funded by the Swan Fund include ceiling skylights, vouchers for relatives, Coping with Grief leaflets and Swan Bags for unexpected deaths. The latest additions are a chair bed to allow relatives to stay overnight with their loved ones, Pet Passports and Children’s Bereavement Bags.
The fund is also support by The League of Friends of the RSH and the Friends of PRH through Swan Memory Boxes, which can be used by relatives and loved ones to keep special items.
Jules said: “I would like to thank everyone who has donated over the last few years for their kindness. It is such an amazing sum of money, and we are so grateful.
“Helping our patients and their families at the hardest of times is our priority and the Swan Fund helps us to achieve this.”