Therapies centre will aid recovery
The Bath Chronicle is supporting the Forever Friends Special Appeals to celebrate the RUH charity’s 20th anniversary, focusing on some of the areas of the hospital which benefit from its work...
The RUH’S Forever Friends Appeal is calling for your support to ensure the success of one of its major project – to help build a state-of-the-art Therapies Centre at Combe Park. Thousands attend the hospitals every year to receive care from the therapies, rheumatology and pain management services to help them in their recovery from a serious illness, injury or manage a long-term condition. The department treats people with a variety of conditions including physiotherapy following trauma surgery or a sports injury, hydrotherapy for patients who have suffered from a stroke, and pain management as part of cancer survivorship and for ongoing weaknesses with bones and joints, such as rheumatic diseases. The ethos of the new RNHRD and Therapies Centre will bring these acute services – currently on two sites – together, promoting health and wellbeing. The total cost is about £16million and a partnership of NHS and charitable funding means the RUH’S fundraising charity, The Forever Friends Appeal will raise a minimum of £2million towards this project in association with the RNHRD Charitable Fund. The Brownsword Charitable Foundation has pledged a gift of £1million towards the centre and will match all other donations up to the value of £1million – meaning every £1 donated will be worth £2 to the Therapies Matter campaign. The title for the ‘Therapies Matter’ campaign originates from the Appeal wanting to tell the public just how wide spread and important therapies treatments are for patients. Mr Brownsword said: “By establishing this ‘Brownsword Match Funding Challenge’ we want to ensure that every pound the public donates is matched with another pound from us to help the Appeal reach its target. “Please join us in raising as much as possible to ensure this new centre, so important to the most effective and best possible care of patients and their families, takes shape over the next year.” The new centre has been designed in conjunction with patients, staff and architects to ensure a state of the art therapies centre is built specifically for the needs of patients and staff to achieve the highest quality of clinical care. The centre will have a large hydrotherapy pool, a specialist gym and rehabilitation equipment, and a biologics treatment space to support treatment, recovery, wellbeing and the management of long-term conditions. The appeal will also help enable the hospital’s ‘Art at the heart’ team to deliver a bespoke art, heritage and interior design programme within the new centre. Entrances and waiting areas will include elements of The Mineral Hospital’s heritage as well as Bath’s connection with the thermal healing waters. There will be cabinets of curiosity – full of Victoriana anatomy and Bath’s Medical heritage objects. Show your support The Forever Friends Appeal need the public’s support to help them with the final part of the fundraising for RNHRD and Therapies and get them over the line in respect of reaching the £2m fundraising target. You can help by: texting RUHB10 to 70070 make a one-off donation of £10 make a donation on the Appeal’s website, www.foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk sign up to take part in one of the Appeal’s walking, running or challenge events and raise funds via sponsorship for the RNHRD and Therapies Centre set up a monthly direct debit fundraise at your place of work or donate through payroll giving leave a gift in your Will (RUH Will Month starts in September) complete the donation form (right) and send to: The Forever Friends Appeal, Bath and Wessex House, Royal United Hospitals Bath, Combe Park, Bath, BA1 3NG