Achievements
over £4 million pounds has been raised
Since the charity was first launched in 1983, 40 years ago, over £4 million pounds has been raised and just over £3.6 million spent to date on new and innovative equipment for our local NHS hospitals.
These purchases tend to be expensive.
Each year, there is discussion and forward planning to ensure efforts are concentrated towards agreed goals. It often takes more than one year to raise the funds needed for a purchase. So far , these agreed purchases have successfully been achieved over 40 years.
We have seen that the arrival of wonderful, new , ground-breaking equipment and the resulting new ways of working can make a really big impact on the services that can be provided for our patients and our local community, which is key to our goals.
There are other benefits as well such as:
• New equipment also promotes pride in the local team on the services they can offer.
• Gives the opportunity to learn new skills.
• An opportunity teach newly acquired skills to others from outside the Trust, promoting the unit and hospital, making it a place staff want to work.
• Encourages participation in research
Some examples of new purchases and services that have been possible, funded by the appeal over the years include:
Original whole body CT scanner 1985
Sight saver appeal
Yag laser, retinal cameras, infrared then digital retinal scanners and imaging systems, an Orbs scanner, microkeratome microscopy unit and an OPTOS a third-generation mobile eye scanning machine . The most recent purchase in 2023 is a cross linking machine further described in the appeal section
Breast test appeal
Mammography x-ray machine in 1991, facilitating the set-up of a dedicated breast service in Derby, in addition to the new breast screening programme.
The appeal later funded the first digital mammography unit for the Derby service in 2005, which helped move the whole service to become digital ahead of most services in England. Digital multidisciplinary equipment including additional high resolution digital monitors followed, as team working to discuss cases became the normal way of working.
Dedicated breast MRI workstations were purchased to allow high quality reporting of breast MRI examinations and to perform MRI guided breast biopsy – another new service. Patients from other regional services were also referred for this procedure to Derby, as they did not have the technology or experience at that time.
Further recent purchases are described in the appeal section.
Bone scanner appeal:
Bone densitometer allowing the set up of a new osteoporosis service. Later additional new technology was purchased to optimise the system ,including further software and a package to gather data on the new field of bone density in men.
Applications for funding are also considered from other applicants and departments , if they meet the criteria of the aims of the charity . This has resulted in further purchases of equipment in other departments to allow the introduction of new technology – for example portable ultrasound machines for intensive care for the the main x-ray department for new ultrasound guided procedures and diagnosis.
The amazing generosity of our local people has allowed these achievements over the last 40 years which have allowed several new services to be set up , developed, and progressed over the years.
It is vitally important that this work continues.