The work of hospital teams across the county is being showcased in a video to promote the charity that supports patients and hospital staff across Lincolnshire.

 The United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity provides patients and staff with the extra items not funded through the NHS but which often make a massive difference.

In the last year this has included the funding of:

• An interactive Kitten Scanner to help children prepare for diagnostic scans through play
• Christmas presents for every inpatient at Lincoln, Grantham and Boston hospitals
• Fabric so the Horncastle Scrub Hub volunteers can sew pyjama style scrubs to help dementia patients get ready for a good night’s sleep
• Cooling caps to help reduce hair loss in patients receiving treatments for cancer
• Worry Monsters to support children who have a loved one that has recently been diagnosed with cancer.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity Manager, Ben Petts, said: “We came up with the idea of a video and knew that as well as promoting the charity we wanted to highlight the amazing work that colleagues do every day in our hospitals. I am really proud to say that every single member of staff and the volunteers in the video work in one of our hospitals. We also had support from a couple of amazing patients who agreed to feature. This meant only a few of the roles were played by actors.

“The support we had from everyone was amazing and meant that there was no impact on patient care.

“The video focuses on areas where we have funded equipment and items. We are so grateful to the support and flexibility provided by the team at Wallbreaker, as filming inside busy hospitals where our patients always come first is not easy. But together we did it and I am personally so proud of the video and the way it has already been received by everyone.”

Filming took place over two days at the end of last year. The team filmed at Lincoln, Grantham and Boston hospitals. 

Luke Winter, from Wallbreaker who wrote and directed the video, added: “This project is truly one our best yet, we’re so proud of how it has come together. It was important that we not only show the work of the charity and the impact it has, but also the amazing teams who work in our local hospitals. I was inspired by how accommodating everyone was and that we managed to pretty much keep to our schedule despite filming in many clinical environments. This isn’t always easy to do!

“The way we filmed the video, using a cinematic hand-held style, added to the authentic feel that we truly are in a hospital, and the feeling that you are in a real moment which adds to the emotion and impact of the visual images.”

The video was made possible by using part of a grant from NHS Charities Together, the national independent charity caring for the NHS. NHS Charities Together works with a network of over 230 NHS Charities across the UK, to help the NHS go further for staff and patients. The grant was also used purchase other promotional materials to use at events, as well as contactless donation points which are being installed at Lincoln, Pilgrim and Grantham hospitals. 

Jon Goodwin, Head of Grants at NHS Charities Together, said: “We help to promote the role of NHS charities across the UK so we’re delighted that we were able fund this moving video which really helps to capture the difference extra funding makes to patients and communities across Lincolnshire, as well as the NHS staff whose tireless work makes a difference, every single day. Sadly, the pressures facing healthcare remain high which means the extra support provided by the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity along with other NHS charities across the UK is more vital than ever.”