'We shall never have all we need. Expectation will always exceed capacity'- Aneurin Bevan, founder of the NHS.
Charitable donations are there to supplement the funds received from the government because the numerous and forever increasing health needs cannot be entirely met by the NHS.
Any donations that we receive help us to enhance and extend the quality of care, treatment, services and facilities for our patients and in doing so continually improves health standards. Donations also benefit our staff, promoting education, training and research.
Portable Work Laptops for Vascular Access Team
These laptops allow the team to review and prioritise patient referrals in real time while working across wards, helping them respond more quickly to patients who need urgent support with cannulation, blood sampling and other vascular access procedures. By reducing time spent travelling back and forth to the office, our clinicians can spend more time delivering timely care where it's needed most.
Angel Charms for Baby Loss
We are so grateful for the generosity of our donors. Thanks to your support, our Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit in the Outpatients Department can provide a small angel charm to patients who have experienced the loss of a baby through miscarriage. While no gesture can take away the pain of such a loss, we hope these charms offer some comfort and reassurance.
INR Machine for Tilney Ward
Thanks to your incredible generosity, we’ve been able to purchase an INR machine for our cardiac ward. This specialised piece of equipment allows clinicians to quickly measure blood clotting levels and make timely adjustments to medications and treatments when needed. Previously, patients often had to wait longer for results through phlebotomy services, but this new machine means faster testing, quicker clinical decisions, and improved patient care.
Weighing Patient Slide
Thanks to your generous support, our end-of-life team has been able to purchase a patient folding slide (PAT slide) for those in their care. The PAT slide has been introduced to enable patients to be transferred safely and comfortably between a bed and trolley. This enables patients who cannot tolerate lying flat to be transferred in an upright position. Unlike traditional PAT slides, which are flat and rigid, this slide is designed with a central section that provides greater comfort and support during transfers, helping to minimise distress and discomfort for patients.
Jelly Drop Hydration Sweets
The specially designed hydration sweets offer an innovative and accessible way to help patients stay hydrated, particularly during periods of hot weather. For individuals living with cognitive impairments such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease, recognising or responding to feelings of thirst can often be challenging, increasing their risk of dehydration. The hydration sweets provide an alternative method of fluid intake that is both familiar and easy to consume, helping to support hydration in a simple and dignified way.
New Artwork for Shouldham Ward
We've recently renovated our cancer ward with beautiful acrylic plaque artwork to help create a calming and welcoming atmosphere for patients during their treatment. We recognise that a hospital stay can often be an anxious and challenging time, and thoughtful touches such as soothing scenic artwork can make a meaningful difference to a patient's experience. The carefully selected images help to bring colour, warmth and a sense of tranquillity to the ward, providing a gentle distraction from treatment and promoting feelings of comfort and wellbeing. By creating a more therapeutic environment, we hope to support not only our patients' physical care but also their emotional wellbeing throughout their cancer journey.
25-Week-Old Premature Baby Replica for Training
Thanks to your incredible generosity, we’ve been able to enhance our simulation suite with new equipment, including a specialist 25-week-old premature baby replica. This simulation model allows our doctors and midwives to practise and refine their skills, helping to deliver the very best care to our tiniest patients.
Baby Head Manikins for Training Midwives and Doctors
These specialised manikins help midwives and doctors practice the application of fetal scalp electrodes (FSE). A fetal scalp electrode is a small clip that is attached to the fetal head to monitor the fetal heartbeat when the external monitor is not providing a good quality heartbeat trace.
While the application of the FSE is relatively straight forward, it requires specific clinical skills to perform safely and the training heads have been invaluable in helping them practice their skills.
Funded by The QEHKL Charity, new Comfort Boxes are being introduced across wards to help families feel calmer and better supported during the final stages of care. Families spending precious time with loved ones in the final hours and days of life at The QEH are being offered additional support through the introduction of new Comfort Boxes, designed to help make those moments feel calmer, more personal and better supported. Funded by The QEHKL Charity, the boxes aim to ease some of the emotional and practical challenges families can face while keeping vigil, helping to create a gentler and more reassuring environment at the bedside.
Thanks to donations like yours, our clinical psychology team were able to purchase a new tool to better understand how patients (including children, young people and adults) manage everyday life and how best to support them. The Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System is an assessment tool that is completed by parents, teachers, or caregivers that builds a clear picture of how a person is coping with day-to-day tasks compared to others of the same age.
Desecrate Patient Information Wallets
Thanks to donations like yours, our Breast Care Unit can provide patients with a discreet information pack at diagnosis. It means they can go home feeling supported, informed, and cared for - without the added burden of managing loose leaflets during an overwhelming time.
In the busy corridors of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), change doesn’t always arrive with fanfare or headline grabbing innovation. Sometimes, it comes in the form of a new chair, a clock, or a discreet alarm. Small changes, perhaps, but ones that can make a profound difference to daily life on the ward. Behind these practical improvements is something truly remarkable: hospital staff quietly and creatively transforming everyday care. Last year, the QEHKL Charity has awarded £34,121,80 through its Room for Improvement scheme — a staff‑led initiative launched in 2022 to support ideas that enhance patient care, improve staff wellbeing, and positively transform the hospital environment.
Caring for others is at the heart of everything our nursing and midwifery colleagues do. We also recognise that life outside work can bring unexpected pressures – whether through illness, financial worries, caring responsibilities or personal crisis. That’s why we're pleased to share that we have funded a ‘Working with' Cavell membership - giving our nursing and midwifery workforce access to additional, confidential support from Cavell, the charity dedicated to supporting nurses, midwives, nursing associates and maternity support workers across the UK.
Funded through our Room for Improvement project, many wards and units throughout the QEH have recently received sets of adaptive cutlery to be used on the ward. This will enable frail patients to maintain their independence, dignity and safety during mealtimes when they have reduced hand strength. The specialised cutlery will help to reduce pain, prevent food spills and assist patients with only one handled grip or poor grip.
Specialist Adjustable Wheelchair for Stroke Unit
Thanks to the generous fundraising of Maggie Drew, the West Raynham Ward has purchased a specialist adjustable wheelchair for our patients. This wheelchair is designed to address common post-stroke challenges, such as hemiplegia (weakness on one side), poor balance, slumping, and the need for pressure management. This type of wheelchair also allows patients to frequent the Stroke Rehabilitation garden area, allowing patients a change of scenery and some fresh air.
Children in hospital who are having surgery, or in other areas of the Trust, are benefitting from hundreds of toys to make their time in hospital a little brighter thanks to Norfolk County Council.
The donation was made after a parent, who had been with their child who was having surgery in in the hospital’s Arthur Levin Day Surgery Unit, saw the exceptional care delivered by Chris Harrison, Lead Nurse. Impressed by his and the team’s dedication to creating the best experience possible for families, the hospital was nominated to apply for funding to enhance young patients’ time in hospital.
A new patient experience initiative is being trialled at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital designed to provide additional wellbeing support to people during their hospital stay.
The Comfort Trolley, led by the Patient Experience team, is being currently trialled across four wards providing patients with free access to activities and wellbeing essentials to help make their time in hospital a little more comfortable and positive.
Thanks to donations like yours, we've been able to fund new iPads for our Infection Prevention and Control team. The IPAC team help monitor different areas of the hospital to prevent infection and maintain patient safety. With these new tablets, the team can efficiently make changes and review their previous changes they have made on wards more quickly and efficiently.
The adaptive exercise bike – purchased using money raised by the ward team during a sponsored 57‑mile hike across the Norfolk coast in October – is already playing a valuable role in patient rehabilitation. Suitable for both ambulatory and wheelchair users, it enables stroke patients to increase mobility and improve flexibility in their arms and legs.
Scott Ablett, Senior Physiotherapist, pictured with John at the launch, said: “Now we have this new equipment we’re able to put it to good use. By involving patients directly in our Land’s End to John O’Groats challenge, we hope to motivate them throughout their physiotherapy and encourage them to go a little further each time.”
End-of-life charge nurse Geminick wins QEH award for kindness and compassion.
Last week, Geminick Siriban, a nurse who specialises in end-of-live care was the proud recipient of The QEH’s latest Outstanding Achievement to Living our Values Award. The monthly Living Our Values award is part of The QEH’s reward and recognition programme which is funded by The QEHKL Charity.
The QEH has taken a major step forward in advancing surgical training and patient care with the introduction of new high-tech simulators for gynaecological surgery.
The £20,000 project, funded by the hospital’s League of Friends charity, will allow trainees and fellows in the gynaecology department to practise key procedures such as hysteroscopy and laparoscopy in a realistic, safe, and controlled environment.
Music therapy plays a significant role in enhancing the well-being of elderly patients, particularly those with cognitive impairments such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Through carefully selected musical activities (like listening, singing, or playing instruments,) music therapy from can stimulate memory, improve mood, and improve emotional wellbeing.
For patients with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, music often serves as a powerful trigger for long-term memory. Familiar songs can evoke meaningful recollections and help maintain a sense of identity, even as cognitive abilities decline. This can bring comfort not only to patients but also to their families and caregivers.
In addition to cognitive benefits, music therapy can promote physical health by encouraging movement, reducing agitation, and lowering stress levels. Group music sessions also provide valuable opportunities for social interaction, which is vital for combating loneliness and maintaining mental health. Overall, music therapy is a gentle yet effective approach to supporting the emotional, cognitive, and physical health of elderly patients.
Cancer patients at The QEH are now receiving treatment in a brighter, more comfortable and compassionate environment following a £255,000 refurbishment of the Cancer Care and Treatment Centre.
At the heart of the transformation, funded entirely through donations to the QEHKL Charity is the inspiring legacy of local fundraiser Gavin English, whose decade-long promise to improve care for others has now become a reality.
The official reopening was celebrated at a special event (21.10.25) attended by Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, Lady Pippa Dannatt, Terry Jermy, MP for South West Norfolk, Mayor of King’s Lynn Cllr Andy Bullen, and members of Gavin’s family – daughter Belinda Penkethman and son Ray English, who travelled from Australia to honour their father’s legacy.
Two fundraising groups unite for worthy cause - raising funds for a new specialist reclining chair for local Breast Care Unit
Thanks to the generosity of both the Hunstanton & District Rotary club & the Breast of Friends, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital's Breast Care Unit were able to purchase a new reclining couch. This allows patients to have a smoother process to be observed and feel a little bit more comfortable during a sensitive time.
The Hunstanton & District Rotary club annually decorate the town in used bras, generously donated by local charity shops and beauty salons, to raise awareness of breast cancer and raise valuable funds for The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn’s (QEH) Breast Care Unit. For more info about the group, please visit: www.hunstantonrotary.co.uk
The Breast of Friends is a local fundraising group united by shared experiences of cancer. They raise funds through various fundraising events throughout the year for both the Breast Care and Cancer Care Units at the hospital, helping to enhance patient care and support. For more information about the charity, please visit: www.breastoffriends.co.uk
Six fearless fundraisers took to the skies above Norwich, each jumping from 13,000 feet to raise vital funds for a cause close to their hearts.
The skydiving challenge was organised by Breast of Friends, a local fundraising group united by shared experiences of cancer. They raise vital funds for the Breast Care and Cancer Care Units at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, helping to enhance patient care and support.
Thanks to fundraisers like the Breast of Friends, the Breast Care Unit also ensures that every patient who undergoes a mastectomy at the Breast Care Unit receives a free specialist post-surgery bra. These bras are designed with discreet pockets to hold silicone breast prostheses securely in place, helping women regain comfort, confidence, and dignity at a vulnerable time.
The monthly Living Our Values award is part of The QEH’s reward and recognition programme which is funded by The QEHKL Charity.
Last month, Gavin Brooke Specialist Physiotherapist in the Rehabilitation Team was presented with a Living Our Values Outstanding Contribution Award by Chief Nurse Pippa Street. Gavin was nominated by a patient who he had looked after for three months.
The funds, raised through various local fundraising efforts, will be used to purchase items suggested by families who have used the unit, including footstools and other small additions that will ensure each of the five en-suite rooms feel more homely and practical. These enhancements aim to create a more comfortable and calming environment for patients and their loved ones in the new purpose-built unit as they enter their last days of life.
In the busy corridors of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), change isn’t always signposted with grand gestures or headline-grabbing innovation. Sometimes, it arrives in the form of a new chair, a fridge, or a discreet alarm.
Behind these seemingly modest improvements is something rather extraordinary: hospital staff quietly and innovatively reshaping everyday care. Since the start of the year, the QEHKL Charity has awarded £30,000 through its Room for Improvement scheme — a staff ideas initiative created in 2022 that encourages individuals to put forward suggestions that improve patient care, boost staff satisfaction, and transform the environment.
Staff at The QEH are set to benefit from advanced training simulation thanks to the arrival of a new high-tech newborn simulation manikin – funded by The QEH Charity. The SimBaby simulator (nicknamed ‘SimBaby’) represents a major enhancement to The QEH’s simulation capabilities.
The £60,000 plus investment will allow staff across maternity, neonatal, and paediatric services to practise life-saving procedures in a safe, realistic environment, preparing them to respond with confidence when every second counts.
Last week nursing degree apprentice Anifa Muanze Ferreira, who started as a hospital domestic nine years ago, was awarded an Outstanding Contribution for Living Our Values Award for unwavering dedication and commitment.
Anifa was nominated for unwavering dedication and commitment to the values of compassion and teamwork.
You can read Anifa’s full nomination, get her reaction and message of thanks to colleagues and family, when you read more.
The QEHKL Charity has supported the implementation of the red chair principle across some waiting areas of the Trust., enabling patients and their family a more comfortable area to wait whilst providing a dedicated chair for those with communication needs.
This is a simple yet transformative idea born from patient feedback. The inspiration came from a patient who faced communication challenges when visiting the hospital. Understanding how important it is for patients to feel comfortable and supported, the red chairs were designed as a visual signal to identify those who may need additional communication support.
The concept is straightforward: patients who may have communication needs can choose to sit in a red chair, alerting staff to their requirements. Once seated, staff will be aware that the patient may need extra assistance, allowing for a more tailored, responsive approach to care. This small change is already making a big difference in helping patients feel understood and supported in an often stressful environment.
Charity Manager Sam Taylor expressed the importance of the scheme: “This funding is a reflection of how our staff can make a real impact. It’s about creating a better environment for everyone, ensuring that every patient’s experience is as positive as it can be.”
Designed to support the physical and psychological recovery of stroke patients, the garden is already being hailed as a vital addition to the hospital’s stroke rehabilitation services This tranquil and therapeutic space was made possible thanks to generous funding from the QEHKL Charity and kind donations from the local community.
Previously, the old kitchen had broken doors, chairs were torn, a cracked worktop and several layers of paint on the doors which was chipped off in areas.
The base unit, doors, sink, worktop, floor and plinth were all replaced and the area was redecorated. Staff satisfaction and experience showed immediate improvement as they now have somewhere fit for purpose; a light, airy and clean to take their meal breaks. Improving staff well-being and satisfaction goes hand in hand with improving patient experience.
Hospital charity transforms rehabilitative care at The QEH
The LiteGait device supports patients with mobility issues, allowing them to walk safely on a treadmill. It’s especially effective for those recovering from strokes or living with neurological or musculoskeletal conditions. This advanced tool will improve patient care and help staff work more efficiently. Purchased for the West Raynham Stroke Unit, the LiteGait will be available to therapy teams across the hospital. Staff are currently training on its use and spreading awareness of the significant benefits this innovative equipment will bring
DEXA Scales
The DEXA Scales project has improved efficiency and safety in radiology by providing a way to safely measure patients' height and weight in a single movement, particularly benefiting those with limited mobility. This has made the scanning process quicker, safer, and more accurate, leading to improved patient care.
Tilney Wall Art
New artwork now lines the corridors of our Tilney Ward, enhancing the bare walls with local scenes and making the space more pleasant and welcoming for everyone. Feedback was reviewed from this recent application and the patients, staff and relatives realised these pieces of artwork added more colour to the ward corridors and created a better mood.
Theatre Storage and Shelving
In theatres, the Theatre Storage and Shelving project has helped streamline storage, ensuring that surgical equipment is stored in a cleaner, safer environment. This not only improves accessibility but also contributes to better infection control, reducing risks for both patients and staff.
Thanks to donation from both the Heacham and Hunstanton Freemasons lodges, the West Raynham ward were able to purchase a specialist rise and recline armchair for those patients who need a high level of postural support.
“For some time, we have wanted an ‘in-between’ chair that wasn’t a tilt in space chair but also not a high-backed hard chair. Thank you to all who were involved in this extraordinary event.” - Suzy Butler, lead for The QEH Community Stroke Rehabilitation Team.
The King’s Lynn hospital makes sure that patients have access to interpreters when they need them most. This includes patients who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Face-to-face interpreters are always the first option however interpreters are not always available and people may attend hospital unexpectedly to access urgent emergency care. On-demand support is provided through video and audio calls to communicate with people whose first language is not English, or who use British Sign Language.
As part of continuing efforts to improve patient experience for our patients who use BSL, last year 126 members of staff received introductory BSL training from West Norfolk Deaf Association to better support patients – thanks to funding provided by the QEHKL Charity.
An innovative fitness programme at The QEH is proving to be a game changer for cancer patients.
Remarkable feedback from participants of the programme, which is funded by the QEHKL Charity and delivered by Alive West Norfolk, shows it is redefining cancer care helping patients regain strength, confidence, and control over their health no matter what the prognosis.
Supported by QEHKL Charity and recognised by NHS England as an exemplar program, the campaign has officially started in September 2024, across all adult wards.
Let’s Get Moving focuses on addressing deconditioning – the loss of muscle strength and function that often occurs when patients are inactive during their hospital stay. This in turn leads to delayed discharges, increased risks of hospital acquired complications and leaves patients in a state of excessive dependency, unable to return home in time.
The charity-funded Room for Improvement scheme is designed to support staff to implement initiatives that benefit staff and patients across the hospital worth up to £5,000. Thanks to staff innovative ideas the hospital is now benefiting from:
1. 30 noise cancelling headphones for children and adults who get over stimulated and anxious when attending their hospital appointments, making hospital visits less stressful for them
2. Six reclining chairs for the Trust’s Day Surgery Unit adding comfort for patients and their visitors
3. Two motorised pharmacy trollies which will help to improve the efficiency of pharmacy deliveries whilst also reducing the physical burden on staff
Enhancing the care experience for younger patients in ophthalmology
The ophthalmology team at the Trust have taken an innovative step to enhance the care experience for their youngest patients. Recognising the potential for improvements, they revamped the paediatric waiting area in the ophthalmology unit into a more engaging and comforting space, thanks to funding from the QEH KL Charity.
The team collaborated extensively with other Trust departments, studying enhancements in other paediatric areas and ensuring their designs complemented the broader hospital environment. This collaboration resulted in a cohesive aesthetic and atmosphere that supports children transitioning between care areas like Day Surgery, Main Theatres, and inpatient wards.
A new dedicated unit providing patients with dignity, comfort, and compassion at the end of life has officially opened at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), King’s Lynn.
Designed for those who are too unwell to be transferred elsewhere, it provides a tranquil and dignified space for patients to spend their final hours and days of life surrounded by loved ones. The unit will receive its first patients on 11 December.
The £1.6 million purpose-built facility was entirely funded by donations to the hospital’s QEHKL Charity.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has achieved a historic milestone by performing its first robotic-assisted surgery using a £1m cutting-edge system!
Robot-assisted surgery enables surgical teams to perform minimally invasive procedures with greater precision, improving patient outcomes and reducing recovery times. This means shorter hospital stays and a faster return to everyday life for patients.
The advanced technology, which was funded entirely by the hospital’s QEHKL Charity, positions The Queen Elizabeth Hospital as the only one in Norfolk to utilise the CMR Versius Surgical Robotic System, which represents the latest in surgical innovation.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn (QEH) is has officially open a Butterfly Garden, a dedicated space for reflection and remembrance for families who have experienced the devastating loss of a baby.
The Butterfly Garden, fully funded by the hospital’s own QEHKL Charity, has been thoughtfully designed to offer a peaceful environment where families, staff, and visitors can find solace and connection.
Work is now under way on a special courtyard garden dedicated to hospital patients who have suffered a baby loss, providing those who are grieving with a place of remembrance and reflection.
The landscaped garden will be filled with an array of metal hand-forged purple butterflies each baring a special message. A pathway will weave through specially selected symbolic purple borders with private spaces and benches as well as a centrepiece sculpture and poetry installation.
The QEH opened its newly refurbished simulation ward giving staff to the chance to train for real-life scenarios in a safe environment – and it’s all thanks to a generous donation from the hospital’s charity.
The innovative simulation ward will be used by staff, as well as students, as part of their ongoing training and development. This kind of hands-on training is invaluable to team members, allowing them to live real-time scenarios ultimately improving the standard of care and experience for patients.
Thanks to generous donations to the charity’s Breast Unit Fund, a £90,000 grant has enabled the purchase of a Breast SCOUT, a specialist device that can improve breast cancer treatment in the kindest way possible following a successful trial.
The SCOUT detector is designed to localise cancerous and abnormal tissue using a tiny infra-red reflector. It is expected to help around a third of the 300 cancer patients under the care of the hospital’s Breast Care Department.
A brand-new and much-needed maternity bereavement suite opens at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn (QEH), providing a dedicated space for parents and families who have experienced the tragedy of losing their baby.
Named The Butterfly Suite by the local community, the £250,000 facility will provide a dedicated space for bereaved parents who experience the unimaginable loss of their baby either during pregnancy or shortly after birth. The quiet and private area will enable parents time to create precious memories with their baby, in a safe and comfortable environment separate from the clinical setting.
The Charity provided all weather screens for our patient buggy
Come rain, wind or shine you are now sheltered from the elements when using our free buggy service.
Following on from feedback our buggy is now fitted with weather protective covers.
One patient said “As it was a rainy day and we had a fair walk from our car to the hospital, my wife and I weren’t looking forward to the long walk. So you can imagine our surprise and relief when your friendly driver offered us a lift on this excellent service. Thank you.”
The buggy runs from 9am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday taking anyone who needs a lift to the Emerson Unit, followed by the main entrance and then back down to the car park.
Godwick Charity Events raises £££s and laughs with Josh Widdicombe for local Breast Care Unit
James Garner and Dr Steven Grove’s latest fundraising event The Godwick Great Barn Laugh raises £5000 for the Breast Care Unit at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn.
The first ever comedy night held by Godwick Charity Events at Godwick Great Barn didn’t disappoint with the event including a set by Josh Widdicombe, one of Britain’s most recognised comedians.
“Godwick Charity Events is extremely proud to have raised another £5000 for the QEH Breast Cancer Care Unit Development Fund. It really is wonderful to see the unit up-and-running and to learn of the improvement it is making in the conditions and treatment of local patients suffering from breast cancer and the staff that work therein.”
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