Published on: 27 March 2019
The latest charitable donation from South Tyneside District Hospital’s League of Friends has been used to buy 24 wheelchairs, bringing the total number which they have provided in the last five years to 57.
The new wheelchairs are available for porters and carers to move patients quickly and easily around the hospital for treatment, tests and appointments. They have been allocated to areas where there is particular demand, including Outpatients and Maternity, and two are specifically for bariatric patients. They are colour coded so they can easily be identified and returned to the relevant department.
Medical Devices Co-ordinator Clare Williams said: "The generosity of the League of Friends never ceases to amaze us. Their gift of around £13,200 has enabled us to strengthen our wheelchair fleet which will help us to keep services running smoothly and improve our patients’ experience."
The League of Friends was founded in 1948 – the same year as the NHS. In the past seven decades, its volunteers have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to provide local patients and staff with extra comforts and equipment.
