Patient comfort appeal smashes fundraising target

More than £50,000 has been raised to buy specialist mattresses for inpatients at our Hospice in Windsor.

We launched the Patient Comfort Appeal in September 2017, with an initial target of £21,580, enough to fund six specialist mattresses and covers, for the Inpatient Unit. With overwhelming support from the public, the appeal has beaten its original target and we will use the extra funding to support other vital patient and family services.

Linda Nelson, Head of Inpatient Services, said: "We have been overwhelmed by the amazing response to our Patient Comfort Appeal and are thrilled to announce that we have been able to buy all of the mattresses and covers we so desperately needed.

"Every year, we need to raise more than £7m to keep the Hospice running and we rely on 80% of our income from charitable donations. Through the generosity of our Patient Comfort Appeal supporters, not only can we buy all of the new mattresses, but we can use the extra funding to support other Hospice services, like nursing and emotional support, that directly benefit the comfort of our patients. Thank you."

With such high demand for Hospice beds and patients with increasingly complex needs, the mattresses will now be replaced so that our patients can be as comfortable as possible in their final days and weeks.

Shannen Jones, whose mother received our care, said: "All the staff at Thames Hospice ensured my mum was comfortable during the time she spent there. I was honoured to support this appeal for specialist mattresses; and I am delighted that the Hospice is now able to improve the comfort for even more patients."