Adult patients with learning disabilities (LD) now have access to Vulnerable In-Patient (VIP) bags when visiting Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH).

Funded by the Trust charity, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity, the VIP bags are green rucksack-style bags, containing a variety of activities to provide a stimulus for those who may find busy environments challenging.

The bags, which have a value of roughly £20 each, are also designed to hold documentation such as Health Passports and can be customised to the individual and their own needs, for example adding in a person’s preferred cup, spare sling, or resource of their choice.

To learn more about VIP bags, click here.

The Medical Day Unit at Bassetlaw Hospital has undergone an impressive transformation following an accumulation over several years of £40,000 of charitable funding. 

Notable changes to the unit include a comfortable waiting area and TV, a new buzzer system, and six additional high-quality chairs for patients. 

Sarah Taylor, Deputy Divisional Nurse for Clinical Specialist Services at Bassetlaw Hospital, spearheaded the efforts to transform the unit. 

She said: “The whole process has taken us about a year, but it has all been worth it.” 

To read more about the enhancements at the Medical Day Unit, click here.

The roll out of ‘H.O.P.E’ boxes, aimed at supporting families who are subject to separation orders, will now support many families at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Trust (DBTH).

‘H.O.P.E’ boxes, which stands for ‘Hold On Pain Eases’, are filled with comforting and familiar items, such as baby tags, a milestone book and an SD card filled with pictures of both baby and the mother.

Research led by Lancaster University found that women who experience separation from their babies at birth, for example, as part of social care proceedings, are at acute risk of a mental health crisis, including self-harm and attempted suicide during the postnatal period.

To find out more about H.O.P.E boxes, click here.

As part of the Education Department’s annual activities, the ‘We Care into the Future’ event is a large and important opportunity to interact with the young people of Doncaster.

The event consists of several schools visiting a venue at which there is a ‘care pathway’ simulation (from A&E to discharge). After the simulation, pupils can visit the various stands held by all the departments across the Trust: from wards and outpatient departments to legal and corporate areas.

This annual event draws crowds of up to hundreds of pupils and teachers and vastly improves the relationship between education and healthcare locally, prompting students to consider a career in the NHS that would suit them. This in turn benefits future recruitment figures for the Trust, as well as continuing to be one of the biggest employers in the city.

2023 was the first year the event was extended to the students of Bassetlaw!

One of our most revolutionary funded projects, the ‘Intuitive da Vinci Xi’ Surgical Robot will transform the way Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust performs cancer surgery, specifically for colorectal cancer patients in the first instance.

The £3.6 million device works in two parts – the first a specialised console equipped with a 3D display, similar to a virtual reality headset, whilst the second piece contains the surgical arms and 3D camera.

Miss Antonia Durham-Hall, Colorectal Consultant Surgeon and Lead Clinician for Gastrointestinal Surgery at DBTH, remarked: “This investment heralds a new era in colorectal cancer surgery for our patients. As we advance in early cancer detection, it’s imperative that our treatment methods evolve in tandem, ensuring improved post-surgical outcomes and enhanced quality of life.

“The introduction of robotic surgery promises faster recovery times, reduced hospital stays, and diminished likelihood of resorting to open surgery. Additionally, certain tumour types may see improved cancer outcomes, while patients undergoing rectal surgery may experience fewer complications related to urinary and sexual function, alongside a reduced need for long-term stoma.”

Read more about our robot here.

In June 2020, we asked our colleagues how we could best use donations received due to Covid-19 and colleagues asked for an outdoor space where they could relax colleagues at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH) started to fundraise with an ambition to create two beautiful spaces in honour of those affected by COVID-19, in particular in memory of the colleagues we sadly lost.

Our ambition was to raise £35,000 to develop two gardens at Bassetlaw Hospital (bottom row) and Doncaster Royal Infirmary (top row) but with the support of local businesses and individuals who donated throughout the pandemic we raised over £50,000.

Both gardens officially opened in 2021 and now provide a tranquil space for colleagues and patients.

To read more about the Doncaster garden, click here.

To read more about the Bassetlaw garden, click here.

The Serenity Suite is one successfully funded element of the ‘Serenity Appeal’ – a campaign to improve and bolster maternity bereavement services across Doncaster Royal Infirmary (DRI) and Bassetlaw Hospital.

Prior to the creation of the suite, there was no private, specialised area at DRI for families to grieve the loss of their baby. 

The Serenity Suite aims to provide a private and comforting environment where families can find solace, process their grief, and create cherished memories with their precious babies. This facility has been meticulously designed to meet the unique needs of families experiencing baby loss, offering privacy, empathy, and specialised care.

To read more about the Serenity Appeal, click here.

A focus of our charity is supporting our amazing colleagues across Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals. An example of this is our famous tea trolley which is supported by our Health & Wellbeing Team at the trust. The team alongside some of our senior leadership team, visit as many departments and wards as they can to deliver a much deserved cup of tea.

Whilst this may seem small, this gesture goes a long way and is massively appreciated by staff.

“It was amazing to have just a few minutes away from the department doing something really fun like this. It really improved my mood for the day and it was nice to laugh with my colleagues for a while. This small gesture goes a long way. Thank you.”

– A colleague from the Emergency Department

Following on from the Covid-19 pandemic and the tireless efforts from our incredible colleagues across the trust throughout the last couple of years, we identified that there was a need to provide colleagues the opportunity to undertake team building exercises, away from the workplace environment.

In August last year, we launched a team building fund which provides colleagues the opportunity to apply for funds towards an activity focusing on wellbeing, coming together as a team, and to discuss objectives and working together.

To date, we have funded 66 workshops for various teams across the trust. From pottery painting, to creating decorations for the home, to axe throwing, to escape rooms, here are just some of our wonderful teams who have utilised the funding.

A team of nurses from our Paediatric Diabetes Team used the funding to visit Twisted Knot and said “Our team building day provided an opportunity to strengthen our bond further. It was a fab day which was immensely fun, productive and essential to make us all realise how important we are for each other and how each member is a crucial and essential member – a piece of the jigsaw.

Team building is not just about doing an activity together or attending a course but most importantly talking to each other and realising how well we work together and how we care and trust each other”

As part of our Raise a Smile appeal which focuses on raising funds to care for our colleague’s mental health and wellbeing, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity launched a series of random acts of kindness days to help us recognise our hard-working colleagues and boost morale during difficult times.

Our random acts of kindness varied from handing out thousands of pieces of cake and free cups of tea during the NHS Big Tea, a bag of pick ‘n’ mix, our Christmas Advent Calendar Draw where we gifted a range of prizes from Echo Dots, to days out to coffee machines throughout December to our roaming tea trolley which visits wards when they are under pressure to ensure they are well looked after and hydrated.

The care that bereaved families receive in hospital following the death of a relative is crucial. These experiences may be remembered by parents for the rest of their lives, and bad experiences are likely to exacerbate feelings of pain and grief for bereaved families, potentially for many years to come. Small details can mean a great deal to recently bereaved families, and the environment in which care is delivered is of particular importance.

We were honoured to provide funding to create a dedicated bereavement suite on our emergency department at Doncaster Royal Infirmary to provide a holistic, caring space for families to spend their final hours with their loved ones but also to show recognition and thanks to one of our ED Staff Nurses who sadly passed away to Covid-19, by naming the room after her; the Butterfield Suite.

With the help of DFS who donated soft furnishings and decorations for the suite, we were able to transform an unused space.

To find out more about the bereavement suite, click here.

The charity was delighted to support a new CT Scanner Suite at Bassetlaw to commission Keane Creative to undertake bespoke artwork to help aide patient distraction and enhance the environment using art and design in the inpatient waiting area and scan room.  Patients can at times be on a CT scanner for up to thirty minutes for some procedures and it’s important they are as relaxed as possible.

Sara Elliott, Head of Radiology at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH), said, “We have been delighted to take delivery of a new CT scanner and MRI unit at Bassetlaw Hospital in March, both of which will help us to provide the best possible care to our patients.  The new units will help us to enhance and improve local radiology for the over 18,000 patients who use this service each and every year.

“We want to thank Keane Creative who have been commissioned by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity to create bespoke artwork within the CT Suite. A CT scan can sometimes take up to 30 minutes, and this wonderful wall art helps to create an interesting, stimulating and comforting distraction for patients while they undergo their procedure.  This addition has only been made possible by the kind donations sent to the hospital by our local communities, businesses and organisations.”