Raise - The West Hertfordshire Hospitals Charity
Raise is the charity dedicated to supporting patient care across Watford General, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans City hospitals.
We’ve been here doing this since 1995.
Raise supports a variety of work across the three West Hertfordshire NHS hospitals. There are five areas in which we do this:
Patients and families: Supporting patients is at the core of our work, providing funding for specialist services, equipment and comforts that complement existing NHS-funded services. Our news page includes stories about projects we have funded.
The latest technology: Medical equipment evolves at a speed with which the NHS cannot always keep pace, and using charitable funds to buy equipment can help ensure that patients receive the best care possible, using the latest technologies.
Healing spaces: Calm surroundings can reduce stress during an anxious visit to hospital and can also aid recovery. But pressures on the NHS mean that improvements can be difficult to fund without detracting from patient care. A recent example of how charitable funding has made a difference is a grant of £34,500 to install an accessible new bathroom on Starfish Children’s Ward, which had previously been without suitable bathing facilities. We believe that our young patients’ experiences of visiting the unit will be improved, whilst protecting their dignity.
Developing staff: We support initiatives to develop the skills and well-being of staff at our three great hospitals, helping them further their knowledge and enabling them to provide even better care. Our news page includes stories about training we have funded.
Greatest Need: With our greatest need fund, we can support projects across our hospitals; meeting patients’ care needs, wherever and whenever they arise. For example, in 2018 we partnered with Kissing It Better to deliver a wide range of activities to provide company, stimulation and support to patients, especially those who have long stays in hospital.
What exactly is Raise?
Raise is the charity specifically set up to raise funds for and support the three NHS hospitals in West Hertfordshire. Raise was founded and registered as a charity in 1995 and was known, until 2018, as West Hertfordshire Hospitals Charity. Raise is currently run by a Charity Committee, made up of representatives of West Hertfordshire NHS Trust (WHHT), which is the charity’s corporate trustee. The charity supports the three NHS hospitals in Watford, Hemel Hempstead, and St Albans.
