West Suffolk Hospital’s MyWiSH charity - which has raised millions of pounds towards improving patient care - has been picked as regional champions in a prestigious competition celebrating the NHS’s 70th birthday.
The charity, which launched in 1995 as the West Suffolk Hospital Charity but later rebranded to the My WiSH charity, is one of ten regional winners of the Patient and Public Involvement Award category of the NHS70 Parliamentary Awards.
The charity has gone from strength to strength since its relaunch, raising a massive £1,249,411 in the 2015/16 financial year.
The money it raises goes towards enhancing patent care, reducing surgical procedure times, patient recovery time and providing support for those receiving treatment and their families.
The charity has recently launched its biggest appeal to date - Every Heart Counts - with the aim of raising £500,000 for a new cardiac diagnostics unit alongside a new cardiac suite the NHS Trust is investing in.
Sue Smith, fundraising manager at the My WiSH Charity, said: “Although we are a small team, we are proud to be achieving some great things for our community.
“Our team would like to thank our incredible local community, staff, and local businesses who have joined with us to fundraise for various campaigns that support out dementia patients, breast cancer patients and bereaved families after a loss of a loved one, to name a few.
“Many of the donations and legacies that we receive are as a direct result of a personal experience someone has had at our hospital or in the community, and they want to give back as a show of appreciation for the care they have received.”
The My WiSH Charity will represent the Midlands and East of England am award ceremony at the Palace of Westminster in July, going up against other regional winners from across England.
The NHS70 Parliamentary Awards were launched in February this year to recognise the massive contribution made by people who work in and alongside the NHS.
The region’s MPs were asked to find and nominate teams and individuals they think have made the biggest improvements to healthcare where they live.
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