We’re aiming to raise at least £1million this calendar year to enhance care for patients across all wards and departments at Salisbury District Hospital and support the NHS staff who care for them. Here are some examples of the projects we are looking to fund this year:
(Projects marked * are one-off items which we hope to fund during this year. Projects marked ** are ongoing and we aim to raise this amount of money each year to sustain them.)
Cancer Patients
- Six scalp cooling machines to help prevent hair loss for cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy treatment on the Pembroke Unit (£55,000) *
- Supporting people undergoing cancer treatment on the Pembroke Unit (ward and chemotherapy suite) and in other areas of the hospital by funding specialist equipment, aromatherapy, headwear for patients losing their hair, free refreshments, swimming sessions, contributing towards wellbeing groups and improving the patient environment with enhanced furnishings and decor **
- Supporting the provision of a wellbeing specialist to provide prehabilitation, a programme of one-to-one support focusing on physical exercise, diet and weight, and mental health, to help patients prepare for surgery and treatment **
- Maintain and enhance the award-winning patient-focused environment in the Stars Appeal Breast Unit and continue to provide the very latest diagnostic and treatment equipment **
Babies, Children and their families
- Cerebral function monitor to monitor babies’ brains on the Neonatal Unit (£20,000) *
- State-of-the-art surgical equipment for operating on children (£30,000) *
- Maintain the Stars Appeal Benson Suite and fund the Stars Appeal Bereavement Midwife to help bereaved families following the death of their baby and to offer support during subsequent pregnancies (£50,000) **
- Provide free accommodation and home comforts for up to 250 families whose babies are being treated on the Neonatal Unit having been born prematurely or critically ill and other enhancements including state-of-the-art treatment and diagnostic equipment, virtual visiting and play facilities for siblings **
- Maintain and enhance the child-friendly environment in the Sarum Children’s Ward and Squire’s Outpatient Unit. Ensure parents can stay in a proper bed next to their unwell child or in the dedicated parents’ flat. Fund state-of-the-art treatment and diagnostic equipment. Supporting the Stars Appeal Play Assistant, and buy toys and games **
- Stars Appeal distraction boxes which are filled with items to help adolescents arriving at hospital in mental health crisis to feel less anxious **
Older Patients
- Supporting more than 10,000 older people and people with dementia in wards across the Hospital by providing activities such as music, storytelling, dance, reading and playing games, as well as companionship and social activities like trips away from the ward through our Stars Appeal Live Artists and Stars Appeal Engagers (£65,000) **
- Funding equipment, support and rehabilitation for stroke patients being treated on the Stroke Unit *
Heart Patients
- A fourth Echocardiogram for the Cardiac Investigation Unit to help reduce waiting times for patients awaiting diagnosis (£142,000) *
- A mechanical CPR machine (£15,000) *
- Specialist staff training, rehabilitation classes and enhancements and additional equipment throughout cardiac services including the Stars Appeal funded Cardiac Suite and on Tisbury Coronary Care Ward **
For Every Patient
- Free Stars Appeal Wi-Fi for all patients, staff and visitors (£35,000) **
- A 24/7 Hospital Chaplaincy service providing vital support to patients and families at the most difficult of times (£60,000) **
- Stars Appeal toiletry packs, free TV cards and clothing for patients arriving at hospital in an emergency or facing hardship (£10,000) **
- Artcare, the Hospital’s Arts Project which enhances the hospital environment for patients and staff through interior design and art projects **
- Water coolers providing chilled, filtered water to patients and staff in 60 frontline wards and departments (£6,000) **
- Maintain and create Stars Appeal gardens and other outdoor spaces for the benefit of patients, visitors and staff (£15,000) **
- Christmas extras including ensuring every patient in hospital on Christmas Day receives a present and bringing a festive feel to the hospital site, including the provision of Christmas trees (£10,000) **
Patients in other areas of our hospital
- A surgical microscope and other specialist equipment to create a dedicated plastic surgery operating theatre which will enable some plastics patients to be treated as day cases rather than having to spend several nights in hospital (£190,000) *
- Stars Appeal Spinal Unit Recreation Service which provides vital days out and social activities to patients spending many months in hospital trying to come to terms with life-changing injuries that have often resulted in permanent paralysis **
- Enhance care on Radnor Intensive Care Unit by providing additional equipment and facilities and staff training and wellbeing **
- Support Burns and Plastics patients on the Odstock Burns and Plastics Ward by providing additional equipment and facilities and holidays and recreational activities for children with burns **
- Creating dedicated facilities in the heart of the Hospital where the end of life team can work and support bereaved families in private and dignified surroundings (£24,000) *
- Specialist trainer bike for spinal rehabilitation patients (£8,000) *
- Digital information boards for patients, visitors and staff (£50,000) *
- Mobile phone charging stations for the emergency department and inpatient wards (£30,000) *
Salisbury Hospital’s NHS staff
- Provide support to staff including a dedicated staff counsellor, psychological wellbeing practitioner and physiotherapist along with wellbeing groups, peer support sessions, social events and morale boosting treats **
- Help front-line staff by providing additional training, education and support to help them deliver the very best care to their patients **
Projects marked * are one-off items which we hope to fund during this year. Projects marked ** are ongoing and we aim to raise this amount of money each year to sustain them.
Should the amount we raise for the items listed above be insufficient we may not be able to fund all of these projects in which case we will fund those that are considered the highest priority. Should we raise more than the amount required, we will fund additional projects that enhance care for local people being treated at Salisbury District Hospital. If you wish to support one of these projects specifically, find out more, learn about other projects we are funding this year or wish to suggest projects we should be funding please contact us.
Major projects and other work we have previously funded
In addition to aiming to raise at least £1million each year for projects like those detailed above, from time-to-time the Stars Appeal raises funds for very large one-off projects. These have included:
- the Beatrice Birth Centre with a new courtyard garden and Maternity Department reception building (£260,000 2021-2022)
- Second MRI Scanner and Scanning Suite (£1.5million 2019)
- Dedicated Breast Unit (£1million 2015)
- Redevelopment of Radnor Intensive Care Unit (£300,000 2015)
- Two state-of-the-art CT Scanners (£1million 2014)
- Benson Suite (£100,000 2013)
- Neonatal Family Accommodation (£250,000 2012)
- Dedicated children’s area in A&E (£250,000 2012)
- New Children’s Unit (£1million 2010)
- Cardiac suite (£500,000 2010)
- Keyhole Surgery Suite (£300,000 2007)
Here are just some examples of other Stars Appeal projects that our brilliant supporters have previously funded:
- £80,000 to purchase 8 state-of-the-art CTG machines to monitor the hearts of babies before and during labour
- £90,000 to fund Salisbury’s first 3D Gynaecology Ultrasound machine
- £25,000 to expand our Neonatal Unit family accommodation to ensure every mother can stay with their baby in Hospital and to provide additional space for breastfeeding clinics and other support
- £5,000 to fund an eye Autorefractor sight assessment machine for children
- £19,000 to provide a patient warming system for use in main theatres
- £42,500 for Salisbury Hospital’s first dedicated Neonatal X-Ray machine
- £50,000 to provide reclining sleeper chairs for women and their partners across the Hospital’s maternity services including the Labour Ward, Postnatal Ward, Beatrice Birth Centre, Neonatal Unit and Benson Suite
- £20,000 to fund the Stars Appeal footcare service
- £43,000 to fund a Finapres Nova monitoring system to enhance the investigation of the cause of blackouts in heart patients
- £75,000 for 63 advanced vital signs monitors to increase the availability of dedicated bedside monitoring
- £6,000 to provide a Sara Plus powered standing and raising aid for rehabilitation patients
- £42,000 for two state-of-the-art incubators for babies on the Neonatal Unit
- £12,000 for a Hysteroscopy Couch in the Gynaecology Department
- £9,000 to provide new furnishings for staff rooms across main theatres and the day surgery unit
- £10,000 for 18 freestanding mask and gel dispenser sanistations around the Hospital
- £5,000 for an irrigation tower for urology surgery
- £7,000 for an electric standing frame for the Stroke Unit
- £9,000 to create a courtyard garden in the Urology Department
- £10,000 to provide adjustable dining tables for the Spinal Unit
- £20,000 to enhance the environment in the new Medical Surgical Outpatients department with artwork and interior design
- £33,000 to enhance the fracture clinic with furnishings and décor
- £50,000 to create an enhanced environment for patients with complex disabilities and their carers by refurbishing the Medical Engineering Department
- £150,000 to fund an intraoral scanner for the Oral Medicine Department
- £100,000 for Simulation Training, including the provision of state-of-the-art patient simulators and the funding of a dedicated Simulation Technician to provide a virtual treatment environment that enables staff to develop their skills to the highest possible level
- £75,000 to purchase a Fibroscanner, a specialist liver scanner that enables the early identification of the risk of liver disease
- £20,000 to fund a dedicated bathroom for the more independent patients on Radnor Intensive Care Unit to aid their rehabilitation, independence and recovery
- £50,000 to fund a pulsed dye laser in the Laser clinic which is used to alleviate scarring and lighten red coloured skin marks for example for patients with burns
- £15,000 to buy a new medical image recording device for the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Department enhancing care for patients by enabling the viewing and capture of endoscopic images in high definition for ENT patients such as those with cancer and voice problems
- £26,000 for a dedicated ultrasound machine for Rheumatology patients who can have Ultrasound scans in clinic rather than being referred for a scan at another time
- £105,000 to enhance the Wessex Rehabilitation Centre and fund new facilities including an anti-gravity treadmill, bouldering wall and therapy kitchen to provide patients with severe limb injuries and chronic pain with the very best therapy
- £77,000 for a highly advanced Topographer and a Cyclo Laser for the Eye Clinic meaning eye patients can have the latest treatment in Salisbury without having to travel to other hospitals
- £15,000 for a computerised CTG machine to enable enhanced monitoring of unborn babies and their mothers
- £23,000 for a dedicated Neonatal Unit ultrasound scanner so that premature babies requiring brain scans or scans to check hips for dislocation risk can be scanned here rather than transferred to Southampton or elsewhere
- £5,000 to fund the Stars Appeal Foot Care Service offering free foot care to long stay patients on the elderly care wards
- £42,000 to create a state-of the-art motion capture gait lab where the needs of patients with difficulty walking can be analysed and where they can be helped to walk more easily and without pain
- £30,000 for a fluorescence microscope to enhance Salisbury Hospital’s Genetics Department research into cancer including leukaemia and bladder cancer
- £120,000 for treatment and diagnostic equipment in the Neonatal (special care baby) Unit
- £90,000 to fund a highly advanced 3D cone beam head scanner for Oral Maxillo Facial Surgery
- £100,000 to create and enhance the environment in the new Eye Clinic
- £11,500 for upgraded Pembroke Unit Chemotherapy furniture making cancer patients time in hospital more comfortable
- £65,000 to fund a state-of-the-art Faxitron machine providing faster diagnosis for breast cancer patients
- £16,000 to create a garden of Reflection and Rehabilitation to help heal patients and their families both physically and mentally
- £9,000 to refurbish the day room and create a new garden on Breamore Ward
- £60,000 towards the creation of the dedicated Bereavement Suite
- £10,000 to create a patients’ lounge in the Spinal Unit
- £3,000 to create a Registrar’s office where people can easily register births and deaths whilst at the hospital
- £15,000 for dedicated ultrasound machine for Prostate Cancer patients in the Urology Department
- £55,000 to equip community midwifes with portable bilirubin (Jaundice) meters
- £25,000 for advanced rehabilitation equipment for Stroke Patients
- £24,000 to fund a research project to help people with a spinal cord injury
- £66,000 to fund beverage trolleys for 18 wards
- £11,000 to fund a siblings playground on the Neonatal (special care baby) Unit
- £170,000 to fund state-of-the-art equipment to bring new Endobronchial Ultrasound and Thoracoscopy lung cancer diagnostic procedures to Salisbury meaning patients can be diagnosed more quickly and no longer have to travel to bigger specialist hospitals
- £10,000 to enhance furnishings in every room on the Burns and Plastics Unit (Odstock ward)
This is just a selection of the projects that the Stars Appeal has funded since our launch in 2007. We never forget that we couldn’t do any of this without our brilliant donors, fundraisers and those that so kindly remember the Stars Appeal in their Wills – Thank you.