Our NHS hospitals in Leeds need you now more than ever before.
The NHS has never faced an emergency like the coronavirus pandemic, which has been placing enormous pressures on our staff and services. The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is run by 18,000 dedicated staff, who are all working together to provide the best possible care for patients and their families.
Our NHS hospitals in Leeds need you know more than ever before. Will you support your local hospitals and make a difference, by giving a monthly donation? By becoming a friend of Leeds Cares, the charity of Leeds Teaching Hospitals, your generous contribution will help to fund the things over and above what the NHS can’t always fund, and it’s those extra things that will have a huge impact on patients’ lives. Every £1 you give will directly help staff and patients at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, including Leeds Children’s Hospital and Leeds Cancer Centre.
£5 per month could help to fund the team of Play Specialists, who support the youngest patients throughout their time in hospital
£10 per month could help to fund the Chaplaincy Service, providing much needed guidance and support to patients, families, and staff
£15 per month could help to fund ongoing medical research to help improve treatments for patients
During this pandemic, we have seen first-hand the generous contributions that have been provided to those most in need. Over the past few weeks, we have been able to ensure our patients have free access to bedside phones and iPads, to help them keep in touch with their loved ones when it is not possible to visit in person.
Coronavirus is also impacting younger patients, like eight-year-old Jack, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy; a rare genetic disease that causes severe muscle wastage. Jack has been taking part in a trial at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, to see if a drug could extend his life expectancy, however due to coronavirus, he has not been able to visit the hospital. With help from Leeds Cares, Jack has been able to continue his trial from home.
Other patients, like seven-month-old Roux, continue to need life-saving care. At four weeks old, Roux was rushed into Leeds Children’s Hospital where his family were shocked to discover that he was critically ill with a brain tumour the size of two oranges. Since then, baby Roux has undergone seven major operations. Throughout his treatment, made even more challenging as a result of the recent coronavirus pandemic, the dedicated specialists at Leeds Children’s Hospitals have continued to give Roux and his family the best possible care and support.
A monthly donation could help to pay for life-saving medical equipment or urgent research to help us respond faster when treating patients with coronavirus. It could also help to provide a much-needed comfort pack to support very sick patients or exhausted staff during this time.
The quickest way to show your support is to make a donation to Leeds Cares online by visiting leeds-cares.org/friend. When you donate, you can also send a message of support which Leeds Cares will share with staff across Leeds Teaching Hospitals outside the hospital, in staff rooms and reception areas, as well as on Leeds Cares’ Facebook and Twitter pages.
