Blood Counts charity fund launched at The Royal Oldham Hospital

Blood Counts charity fund launched at The Royal Oldham

Staff, patients and volunteers at The Royal Oldham Hospital haematology unit officially launched the hospital’s new Blood Counts charity fund on Tuesday (21 March).

Money raised for the unit, which is housed on ward F11 at the hospital, will be used to purchase additional equipment and enhancements to facilities to assist staff at The Royal Oldham Hospital to provide the highest standard of care to patients from local communities across Oldham, Bury, North Manchester and Rochdale borough.

Although money has been previously raised by patients, relatives and staff on the unit for various pieces of equipment and amenities, the official launch of the Blood Counts charity fund saw the Mayor of Oldham undertake a tour of the unit and cut a cake which was decorated with the Blood Counts charity logo.

The cake was then shared with patients and relatives on the unit.

Blood Counts cupcakes were also sold in the Café Royal restaurant at The Royal Oldham Hospital for staff and visitors to buy to boost the charity funds.

The haematology unit treats patients with chronic long term blood disorders and blood cancers in the integrated day case and 22 bedded inpatient unit. Most patients attending the department are receiving chemotherapy and can be in hospital for prolonged periods of time combined with numerous day case attendances.

Patient care on the unit is coordinated by an extensive team of consultants, specialist registrars, clinical nurse specialists and many others whose focus is on providing compassionate and quality driven care.

Nicola Firth, Director of Nursing at The Royal Oldham Hospital, said: “The Blood Counts fund will specifically benefit the many patients who receive care on our Haematology Unit. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the generous fundraisers, patients and relatives who have previously made donations, and we look forward to working with many more new supporters whose generosity will help patients in the months and years to come.”

Amanda Lane, Macmillan Lead Haematology CNS, Lead Nurse for Teenage and Young Adults with Cancer, Haematology Unit, added: “We are very proud on ward F11 of the care we give. Our care is quality driven and compassionate with the patient and their family at the heart of everything that we do. The aim of the charity is to further enhance the care that we give by raising money in order to fund items which can help to make the treatment and care that the patients and their families receive more bearable. Some of these items may be considered luxuries but when you consider that a patient can remain in hospital in isolation for four weeks, suddenly these luxuries can be a vital.

“To date kind donations have been used to provide recliner chairs to enable relatives to stay overnight with very sick patients. A complementary therapist is also employed for one day a week to provide complementary therapies to patients; this is a service we would like to extend.”