Listen to article summary:
MEMBERSHIP of a charity which in the last 25 years has funded more than £12.5m worth of hi-tech medical equipment for the benefit of local patients is plummeting, according to the League of Friends of Bexhill Hospital.
Two decades ago, the League of Friends of Bexhill Hospital boasted nearly 2,000 supporters, and now, it has barely a tenth of that number.
The registered charity was founded in 1952. In broad terms, its purpose is to ‘put jam on NHS bread’.
When local NHS institutions, such as East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, find a need for newly-developed medical equipment or the replacement of ageing and hard-worn gear, it submits what are referred to as ‘Bids to the League.
Thanks in large part to generous legacies from supporters grateful for the health care they have received locally, the League has been able to respond to these challenges.
Recent examples of the way the charity can act include a £90,000 scheme to move the kitchens from the main Bexhill Hospital block, which no longer has inpatients, to the 54-bedded Irvine Unit in the grounds.
The League has also recently funded a £25,000 project to replace ageing exercise cycles in the Physiotherapy Department with hi-tech devices. These include the encouraging facility for the patient to choose which “environment” in which to cycle. Thus, recovering stroke patients can watch on-screen as they “ride” the Champs Élysées in Paris or around the Taj Mahal!
Under its constitution, the League can support Bexhill patients wherever they are treated. It funded an £860,000 MRI scanner at the Conquest Hospital and is investing more than £100,000 in equipment for the new Combe Valley mental health hospital now under construction.
Despite its falling numbers, the League is fighting back. It is redoubling its efforts to ensure that the equipment it provides bears plaques acknowledging its support. It is planning the creation of a new state-of-the-art website and fronting a new social media programme. Volunteers are manning stalls at public events such as Bexhill Day and the Horse Show, showcasing the League’s achievements.
In addition to conventional paid membership, the League now offers Associate Membership. This no-cost alternative, available via the existing bexhillhospitalfriends,org.uk website, entitles the supporter to view the charity’s quarterly newsletter online.
Unlike paying members, Associate Members forgo the right to vote at the annual general meeting.
