NHS Charitable Funds is the term used to cover the money that is not received as a normal part of NHS business but is rather money donated or left to the Trust, to pay for additional items that might not be purchased in the normal course of business.

The definition employed by the Charity Commission to identify an NHS charity is that:

• the charity is established for charitable purposes relating to the NHS;
• its trustee arrangements have been established by the Secretary of State for Health under NHS legislation; and
• the individuals responsible for ensuring that trustee duties are fulfilled are appointed by the NHS by one means or another.

There are over 235 NHS charities across the United Kingdom that support NHS trusts across the country.  Collectively these charities give £1 million every day to the NHS so that people can stay well for longer and get better faster. In recent years NHS charities have funded major capital projects, pioneering research and medical equipment, helping patients access the best possible care when they need it most.

They also play a key role in mobilising volunteers to support NHS staff, brightening wards and waiting areas with colourful and engaging art and building an important link between the trusts and their local communities.

The types of expenditure routinely paid from charitable funds tends to fall into one of four areas:

• Enhancing the patient environment
• Patient specific expenditure
• Staff and service development
• Funding of projects

An application form is available on the internet/intranet for. This will need to be completed with some clear information on the reasons for requesting the funds, the amount, and how you intend to spend.

A successful proposal will:

• Benefit patients, residents, carers, or staff
• Be clear about who the beneficiaries are
• Be properly costed including showing the impact of revenue implications separately and how these will be picked up
• Be supported by the relevant manager
• Have sufficient funds Show value for money.

The form will be submitted to the Charity team who will review it and discuss further with the appropriate party (fundholder or committee).

There are no restrictions on how many times you can apply for charitable funds.

We want to hear your ideas and support where possible, but we do ask for bids to show how the project will be supported going forward and also where possible, the service can also support the charity.

Depending on what the request is, there are some restrictions on the amount.

Smaller projects are able to be approved quicker as the funding is available; larger amounts may take longer to achieve the funding as this may need to go through grant application processes.

Complete and submit a simple form:

Circle of Wishes application form

The funds currently have come from many sources including, patients, donors, and fundraising events.

The charity works hard to promote the brand across the organisation, service users and local communities to get involvement in the charity, whether that be by individual giving, fundraising events or gifts in wills. 

The NELFT charity ensures that all applications are considered.  Successful applications will ensure that the not only meet charitable objectives and legal requirements, but also ensure that the application considers the need of beneficiaries. 

Decisions on making the funds are decided monthly basis at an Operational Group that contains a multidisciplinary team from across the Trust.

Currently, the funds are received by the Charity Manager in the following ways:

• Monthly donations as gifts
• A one-off gift
• In memory – donations in honour of someone special
• Through a will as a legacy
• Fundraising activities

Charitable funds cannot be used to meet budget deficits, funding gaps, or personal items for individuals.

We are grateful for all donations to the NELFT Charity. Donations can have the caveat of being directed to a particular service or issue. Often, someone will spot a need through contact with a service or identify something that would enhance how we support service users or staff. So we will ensure any monies donated to benefit the identified service.

• NELFT aims to provide best care to our service users and aims to be an exemplary employer taking care of and supporting our teams
• NELFT will continue to do this but there are times when the needs of the people we support and work with cannot be met within NELFT’s remit as an NHS organisation
• Our charitable arm will aim to meet these needs, which will typically be beyond the clinical care and exceptional employee support NELFT provides

We will not fund work that NELFT should rightly have within its budget e.g. PPE, clinical care, ward renovations, team training and away days.  We have capital and expenditure budgets in place for these already in NELFT.

Our charitable work supports and works within the Trust Strategy and potentially can play a key role in funding an initiative not otherwise possible.