Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals Nhs Charity

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: Data not publicly specified
• Decision Time: 4 weeks (under £5,000) / 12 weeks (over £5,000)
• Grant Range: £0 - £100,000+ (applications over £100,000 considered)
• Geographic Focus: Newcastle upon Tyne and North East England
• Application Method: Rolling basis (online)

Contact Details

Website: https://charity.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/

Email: nuth.charity@nhs.net (general) / nuth.nhcfunding@nhs.net (funding enquiries)

Phone: 0191 213 7235

Address: The Fleming, Burdon Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 3AE

Pre-Application Support: The charity strongly recommends contacting the Funding and Partnerships team before applying to discuss proposals

Overview

Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Charity (registered charity 1057213) was established to complement NHS resources at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which includes the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Freeman Hospital, Great North Children's Hospital, and Northern Centre for Cancer Care. The charity supports hundreds of individual projects every year through grants for service-enhancing equipment, improvements to patient amenities, staff wellbeing initiatives, and research and development. The charity is home to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and works closely with the Great North Children's Hospital fund. The charity's mission focuses on improving the health and wellbeing of patients, staff, and wider communities through compassionate and innovative healthcare, education and research. Notable recent grants include a £3.2 million award over five years to create a Researcher Development Institute dedicated to nursing, midwifery and allied health professional research advancement.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Small Grants: Up to £5,000

• Online application process
• Decisions within 28 days
• Approved by Charity Director or Head of Charity Finance
• Assessed against 6-point criteria

Medium Grants: £5,001 - £20,000

• Online application process
• Decisions within 12 weeks
• Requires two executive approvals
• Assessed against 9-point criteria

Medium-Large Grants: £20,001 - £999,999

• Online application process
• Decisions within 12 weeks
• Reviewed by Charity Committee
• Assessed against 9-point criteria

Large Grants: £1,000,000+

• Contact Funding and Partnerships team first
• Requires Full Board meeting (Corporate Trustee approval)
• Trust's main board and executive team consider strategic fit

Priority Areas

Theme 1: Patient Care

• Enhancing treatment journeys and clinical outcomes
• Supporting patient wellbeing (physical and mental health)
• Creating optimal hospital environments
• Medical, surgical, and therapeutic equipment
• Mobility, rehabilitation, and recreational support
• Refurbishing waiting rooms and patient spaces
• Arts and music to improve patient comfort

Theme 2: Supporting Staff

• Training and development opportunities (conference attendance, educational courses)
• Staff physical and mental wellbeing initiatives
• Counselling services and psychological support
• Support for staff experiencing hardship
• Staff morale-boosting activities

Theme 3: Innovation

• "Invent & Adopt" - new medical equipment and technology not yet covered by NHS funding
• Clinical research aligned with Trust priorities
• Projects that can be quickly translated into patient benefit
• Advanced medical technology (surgical robots, advanced scanners)
• Medical research projects (implant failure studies, disease-specific research)

Theme 4: Health Inequalities

• Addressing systematic health disparities
• Improving healthcare access for marginalized groups
• Supporting patients with learning disabilities
• Specialist services for refugee families
• Projects enhancing healthcare access for underserved communities

Theme 5: Community Engagement (available to external VCSE organizations)

• Partnerships with voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organizations
• Projects tackling health inequalities
• Creating healthier communities
• Supporting vulnerable populations

What They Don't Fund

• Retroactive funding (only future projects considered)
• Projects that replace standard NHS provision
• Proposals that don't align with Trust strategic aims
• Applications from organizations with poor compliance on previous funding reporting

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Governance and Leadership

Director: Teri Bayliss

Charity Committee Members (selected):

• Bill: Non Executive Director and Chair of Audit Committee, Chartered Accountant with 25 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
• Lucia: Joint Medical Director (appointed March 2024), Associate Medical Director since 2018
• Caroline: Responsible for external affairs and charity oversight, extensive experience in partnership working and NHS governance

Corporate Trustee: The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Board

Advisory Panels:

• Sir Bobby Robson Foundation panel
• Great North Children's Hospital panel

Key Quotes from Leadership

Teri Bayliss, Director: “We are immensely lucky to have world-class healthcare institutions right on our doorstep and at Newcastle Hospitals Charity, we are proud to provide support to patients, staff, and the wider hospital communities.”

On community support: “It is a key aim of our Charity to support the communities around our hospitals.”

On staff and patient wellbeing: “Our Charity aims to support staff well being and patient care. The two are shown to be interlinked and this pioneering work will impact on both of these important areas to improve our care for staff, patients and our communities.”

On the 'Every Step' campaign: "Our 'Every Step' campaign celebrates the fact that patient care at the Great North Children's Hospital goes far beyond just clinical. It's in every comforting word, every act of kindness and every breakthrough we help make possible through charitable support."

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Step 1: Pre-Application Contact (Strongly Recommended)

• Contact the Funding and Partnerships team at nuth.nhcfunding@nhs.net or 0191 213 7235
• Discuss your proposal and get guidance on the application process
• Confirm which funding category applies

Step 2: Submit Online Application

• Applications accepted on a rolling basis at any time
• Use the online application portal on the charity website
• Applications require endorsement from clinical board directors
• Provide a 'cost code' indicating where funding should be sent if approved

Step 3: Due Diligence

• Charity team conducts due diligence checks
• Assessment against specific criteria (6 criteria for under £5,000; 9 criteria for over £5,000)

Step 4: Approval Process

• Decisions made at appropriate approval level based on amount requested
• Independent of Trust's exchequer funds
• Mindful of donor intentions and donation conditions

Decision Timeline

• Under £5,000: Response within 28 days
• Over £5,000: Response within 12 weeks (3 months)
• Over £100,000: Timeline varies, contact team first

Notification Methods

• All proposals result in a recorded outcome
• Written notification explaining how criteria were met or why funding couldn't be supported
• For unsuccessful applications, feedback provided with further discussion to explore alternative approaches

Success Rates

Success rates not publicly disclosed. The charity supports “hundreds of individual projects each year” across its multiple funds.

Reapplication Policy

• Unsuccessful applicants can reapply
• The charity offers to work with unsuccessful applicants to explore “whether there is a different way to meet the needs”
• Feedback and further discussion provided for declined proposals
• Future proposals may be affected by poor compliance on reporting for previous funding received

Application Success Factors

Direct Advice from the Funder

1. Make Pre-Application Contact: The charity “strongly recommends” talking to the Funding and Partnerships team first - they can answer questions and guide you through the process

1. Align with Strategic Aims: Proposals must align with the Trust's strategic priorities - larger projects (over £100,000) are specifically reviewed by the Trust's main board for strategic fit

1. Supplement, Don't Replace: Projects should enhance, not replace, standard NHS provision

1. Patient-Centered Approaches: The charity values innovative and patient-centered proposals

1. Report on Previous Funding: “Failure to work with the charity as needed when reporting on previous funding provided may be taken into account in the assessment of future proposals”

Recent Projects Funded (Examples)

• £3.2 million (5-year grant): Researcher Development Institute for clinical academic fellowships (pre- to post-doctoral level)
• £40,000 annually: YPAGne (Young Person's Advisory Group) engaging ages 11-18 in medical research design
• £35,000: Zone West Pilot Scheme supporting vulnerable children through Link Workers
• £1 million: Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer Unit (4 posts including consultant fellowship, specialist nursing roles, clinical study fellowship)
• Central Line Training equipment for Freeman Hospital
• Newcastle United Foundation Project Officers for young cancer patients
• Counselling and acupuncture services (3 counsellors) through Coping with Cancer North East
• Surgical robots and advanced radiotherapy equipment
• Treatment self-help workshops

Language and Terminology

The charity uses language emphasizing:

• “Patient experience” and “patient journey”
• “Service-enhancing” equipment
• “Innovation” and "Invent & Adopt"
• “Health inequalities” and “marginalized groups”
• “Compassionate and innovative healthcare”
• “Clinical research that can quickly be translated into patient benefit”

Tips for Standing Out

1. Demonstrate Quick Patient Benefit: For research proposals, show how findings can be rapidly translated into patient care improvements

1. Show Community Impact: Especially for VCSE organizations, demonstrate how your project supports communities around the hospitals

1. Link Staff and Patient Wellbeing: The charity recognizes these are “interlinked” - proposals addressing both may be particularly compelling

1. Think Beyond Clinical Care: The 'Every Step' campaign shows the charity values “every comforting word, every act of kindness” - don't underestimate the value of comfort, emotional support, and quality of life improvements

1. Address Health Inequalities: Projects targeting systematic disparities and improving access for underserved populations align with strategic priorities

1. Consider Named Funds: The charity has specific funds (Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, Great North Children's Hospital) - if your project aligns with these, reference them explicitly

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Pre-application engagement is crucial - the charity strongly recommends contacting the team before applying, and they emphasize collaborative working to refine proposals

• Application timelines are generous - rolling applications mean no deadline stress, and decision times are clearly defined (4 weeks for small grants, 12 weeks for larger ones)

• The charity values innovation alongside compassion - successful projects range from cutting-edge surgical robots to art programs and counselling services

• External VCSE organizations can apply - you don't need to be part of the NHS Trust to receive funding, especially for community-focused health inequality projects

• Failed applications get constructive feedback - the charity works with unsuccessful applicants to explore alternative approaches rather than simply rejecting proposals

• Scale your ask appropriately - with clear funding tiers from under £5,000 to multi-million pound grants, tailor your request to what's genuinely needed and demonstrate proportionate impact

• Reporting compliance matters for future applications - maintain strong relationships by fulfilling monitoring and evaluation requirements on any previous grants received

References

• Newcastle Hospitals Charity official website: https://charity.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/
• Charity Commission Register - Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Charity (1057213): https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1057213
• “Newcastle Hospitals Charity funding themes”: https://charity.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/funding/newcastle-hospitals-charity-funding-guidance/newcastle-hospitals-charity-our-funding-themes/
• “What happens after you have submitted a proposal”: Newcastle Hospitals Charity website
• Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust news: “£3.2m grant from Newcastle Hospitals Charity creates new Researcher Development Institute”: https://www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/news/3-2m-grant-from-newcastle-hospitals-charity-creates-new-researcher-development-institute/
• Living North: “Newcastle Hospitals Charity on Campaign to Support NHS Staff and Local Communities in North East”: https://www.livingnorth.com/article/newcastle-hospitals-charity-campaign-celebrate-unforgettable-people-region
• Shields Gazette: “Hebburn family share their gratitude to NHS staff as they star in heart-warming Newcastle Hospitals campaign”
• “What We Fund” - Newcastle Hospitals Charity website: https://charity.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/what-we-do/impact/what-we-fund/