Thanks in part to a grant of £15,228 from NHS Charities Together, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity has been able to fund new gym equipment at the Royal Preston Hospital to help patients rehabilitate.
The new facilities will enhance patient experience and outcomes when rehabilitating from traumatic injury, surgery or ill-health, including COVID-19.
The gym will also be used to expand the support available for the physical and mental health wellbeing of staff, through exercise classes and potentially for staff gym memberships.
Jennifer Carroll, Continuous Improvement Clinical Fellow with the Trust said: “The charitable funds received has enabled us to refurbish both of our Therapy gymnasiums to a high standard which will facilitate enhancement of patient experience, as well as support our staff health and wellbeing. This is making a significant positive impact upon the services we offer to the population we support.”
Patient David Vesty said: “As a regular visitor to the gym, I was happily surprised how well kitted out the facilities and equipment are at Preston Royal Physio department. They have a well-structured layout for all manner of rehabilitation requirements and know how to utilise the equipment to help get you back on your feet - in my case!”
Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together said: “Thanks to the generous support of the public, we are thrilled to work with Lancashire Teaching Hospitals to provide funding towards vital equipment, improving the experience of rehabilitation patients at Royal Preston Hospital. We know this will have a life-changing and lasting impact, both physically and mentally, as patients embark upon their journey to recovery.”
Dan Hill, Head of Charities at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We are thrilled that our charity funding has enabled these fantastic facilities at Royal Preston Hospital. The new equipment will make a big difference to the recovery of our patients. We are especially grateful to NHS Charities Together for their grant which helped to make this project a reality, and to all our supporters for their generous donations.”
This is the second phase of a project which saw similar improvements to the gym facilities at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, also part funded by the grant from NHS Charities Together.
