Friends of the Eastbourne Hospitals

Formed in 1948, the Friends provide much needed equipment and facilities for patients and staff alike.

The Friends have been active for more than fifty years, and enjoy a close working relationship with East Sussex Hospital Trust. They work closely with the Voluntary Services Co-ordinator, and both the Friends and the Trust recruit volunteers in the local community.  There are approximately 800 volunteers across the two sites. The Trust is responsible for selecting, checking and placing volunteers throughout the hospital.

The Friends contribute around £500,000 every year to spend on equipment, most of which is spent within the district general hospital. Purchases can range from a costly image intensifier for the radiology department to chairs for waiting areas. Each year, the Friends have a particular project or item of equipment as a fundraising target, according to the needs of the Trust. This is usually around £200,000 per year and has included completely equipping the newly built resuscitation room for the improved Emergency Department in 2000/2001, equipment for improved treatment of cataracts in 2002, and a video link for the Cardiac Intervention Laboratory to provide direct, secure transmission of angiogram images.

The funds raised by the Friends come from several sources:

• Donations and legacies
• Fund-raising activities arranged by the Friends, such as an annual fete, raffles, coffee mornings, open gardens, annual street collections, and concerts. Together, these raise around £50,000 per year.
• Income from four shops and a trolley service within the hospital site, which raises £360,000 - 370,000 per year. These shops are run entirely by volunteers, including the shop managers who sometimes contribute up to twenty hours per week of volunteering time.

Most of the volunteers at Eastbourne Hospital are over retirement age, reflecting the local community. However, the Friends have initiated a project to which the Trust has provided matched funding, to promote and enable volunteering among young people and women returners who may use the experience of volunteering as a route to paid employment. These volunteers will work in the shops and trolley service with more rigorous training and higher role expectations, so that they can use this experience on their CV in seeking work.

The Friends, itself run by a committee of voluntary trustees, has built a strong relationship with the hospitals it has supported over more than fifty years. The Friends not only fulfill their stated objective of providing extra services and amenities for the staff and patients from the funds they raise or are donated, but also provide through the shop and trolley volunteers a vital service to the hospital. In this, they are aided by their close ties with the Trust Voluntary Services Co-ordinator and the Trust Board.

GET (Get Education Through) Volunteering is the latest example of co-operation between the Hospitals and the Friends. It is a pilot study to set up a scheme to encourage younger volunteers into the system by providing training. The project is funded by a successful bid for a VSM (ACU) grant from the Department of Health, matched by the Trust, which is also providing much hands-on help and support. The Friends have also received OFV funding through Attend.

Quotes--

“The support engendered by the Friends in the Eastbourne area not only reflects the work they do but the standing in the community of the Hospitals and NHS services they assist.” — Mrs. Anne Bathard-Smith, Chairman

"The extra money raised by the Friends can be seen actively aiding the Hospital, staff as they go about caring for the people of Eastbourne.”

Created prior to 2011. Updated 2021

The Friends of the Eastbourne Hospitals benefit from Attend membership, which includes comprehensive charity insurance cover. For more information, or to join, please click here.