NHS Charities Together CEO sees first-hand impact of funding at RJAH

The Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together has visited The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) to see first-hand how funding is helping to improve the experience of patients, staff and volunteers.

Ellie Orton OBE, CEO of NHS Charities Together, visited RJAH on Monday 17 August, meeting members of RJAH Charity, the Trust’s Senior Leadership Team, staff, patients and volunteers.

The visit showcased a number of projects funded through NHS Charities Together, including the Path of Positivity, as well as the Future Friends volunteering programme and a Workforce Wellbeing project currently being delivered in the hospital’s Theatres department.

The Path of Positivity provides a welcoming outdoor space for patients, visitors and staff to enjoy, with NHS Charities Together funding helping to enhance the area with new seating, artwork and an outdoor gym.

Ellie also met members of the Future Friends volunteering team from the League of Friends, hearing about how volunteering at RJAH is helping younger people to gain new skills, confidence and experience while making a difference to patients and visitors.

The visit continued with a tour of the hospital’s garden spaces, including the Garden for Alice, where Ellie met Head Gardener Mike Fish and members of the Gardening for Health volunteer team.

She also met Theatres staff involved in delivering an NHS Charities Together Workforce Wellbeing Grant, funded in partnership with NHS England, which is supporting staff to shape improvements to their working environment and wellbeing.

Ellie Orton OBE, CEO of NHS Charities Together, said: “Great healthcare is about more than clinical treatment alone. The environment people are cared for in, the support available to NHS staff, and the human connection provided by volunteers can all play an important part in people’s health, wellbeing and experience of care.

“That is why it was so fantastic to visit the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, to meet some of the volunteers who give their time to support the hospital, and see how our Workforce Wellbeing funding, in partnership with NHS England, is supporting the creation of a better working environment and aiming to improve wellbeing for staff.

“It’s still early days for the project, but it is already starting to make a difference, with staff at the heart of shaping the improvements they want to see.

“It can be easy to forget about the people caring for us, but we need a healthy workforce if we want a thriving NHS that can give patients the care they need. We’re delighted to support projects like this that help take care of the people who take care of us and build a stronger, more resilient NHS.”

The visit also provided an opportunity for NHS Charities Together and RJAH Charity to discuss future ambitions and how continued partnership working could help deliver further improvements for patients, staff and the wider hospital community.

Victoria Sugden, RJAH Charity Director, said: “We were thrilled to welcome Ellie Orton OBE to RJAH and to share some of the brilliant work happening across the hospital, as well as our ambitions for the future.

“It was a real pleasure to show Ellie our Path of Positivity, the Veterans’ Orthopaedic Centre, the Alice Ward Garden and our Theatres – all fantastic examples of the difference charitable funding can make for patients, families and staff.

“Most of all, it was brilliant to hear Ellie’s thoughts and to explore how we can build on what we are already doing together. We are incredibly proud of what has been achieved, but we have big plans for the future and are excited about what more we can make possible for our patients.”