Northamptonshire Health Charity

Northamptonshire Health Charity is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1165702).

Northamptonshire Health Charity exists to make things better for patients, their families and staff, with a focus on Northamptonshire. It provides funding for equipment, research, training and the extras that help to comfort people in hospital. Its work runs through three programmes: Patient Pathway, Enhancing Environments, and Staff Wellbeing & Development. The charity has granted £883,000, and it received 323 applications for charitable expenditure.

Priority Areas

Northamptonshire Health Charity funds additional support for NHS care across Northamptonshire, improving health and wellbeing for patients, their families and staff. It provides funding for equipment, research, training and other extras that comfort people in hospital, as well as items, facilities, projects, posts and programmes beyond the core service provided by the Trusts. Its support includes extending services, improving outcomes and patient amenities and experience, fostering clinical innovation and research, and developing staff wellbeing. Projects are reviewed with the relevant Trust and should have patient benefit at their core, address a clear need, deliver realistic outcomes and meaningful impact, and offer improvements beyond standard NHS provision. Staff support is expected to be equitable and inclusive and benefit all or most of a department or defined group.

Themes

• Medical equipment
• Clinical research
• Training
• Patient amenities
• Clinical innovation
• Staff wellbeing

Geographic Focus

Priority: Northamptonshire.

Small ideas can be submitted at any time and are reviewed monthly at a Charity and Trust triage meeting; decisions are communicated the following month.

Deadlines: Applications submitted in the final week of each month roll over to the next month’s review cycle.

Application windows:

• Opens 1 April, closes 15 May
• Opens 1 June, closes 15 July
• Opens 1 August, closes 15 September
• Opens 1 October, closes 15 November
• Opens 1 December, closes 15 January
• Opens 1 February, closes 15 March

Who can apply:

• To be eligible for funding, applications must align with the Charity’s criteria and governance, and fit with the Trust’s processes and ways of working, including care pathways and key governance requirements such as IT, IPC, fire safety, and health and safety.

What to send:

• Patient Pathway / Medical Equipment
  • Confirmation of approval from the Medical Equipment Committee
  • Where the equipment will be stored
  • Training requirements and who will cover the cost (include in your financial breakdown if you’re requesting charity funding)
  • Initial consumable costs (include in your financial breakdown)
  • How ongoing consumables will be funded
• Environment Enhancements
  • You’ve spoken with the relevant Trust teams and have their approval.
  • You’ve got quotes for the work to be attached to the application, ideally from approved contractors in partnership with the Trust teams.

What the charity says:

• Applications should align with the Trust’s strategy and the Charity’s expenditure policy and guidance, and are assessed with the Trust for impact and consistency.
• The strongest applications show a clear need, realistic outcomes and meaningful impact, with support from the relevant Trust team.
• Projects should have patient benefit at their core and deliver lasting improvements.