Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity has launched a new fund designed to support projects aimed at creating more welcoming and therapeutic healthcare settings, while also supporting frontline teams working across the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The initiative will also fund additional services and equipment across Bedford Hospital and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.
The launch builds on a series of charity-backed initiatives already delivered across the hospitals, including wellbeing gardens, arts and dementia-friendly projects, staff wellbeing programmes and upgraded cancer support facilities.
The charity has backed projects focused on critical care outdoor spaces, sensory-friendly environments and creative wellbeing initiatives for staff and patients.
Recent schemes supported by the charity include the creation of the Primrose Cancer Wellbeing Room and Garden at Bedford Hospital, which provides a calm space for cancer patients and families alongside dedicated support facilities.
According to Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity, the new fund will allow donors, local businesses and community groups to directly support projects that make a tangible difference to patient comfort, recovery and staff welfare.
The charity supports a wide range of enhancements and added extras that fall outside NHS budgets, including specialist equipment, wellbeing spaces, rehabilitation support, artwork installations and community-led health initiatives.
In its latest annual reporting, the charity said it had funded more than £1.7m worth of projects and appeals during 2024/25, including emergency department improvements, cancer wellbeing spaces and specialist equipment for children’s and frailty wards.
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity is encouraging individuals, organisations and community groups to contribute to the new fund through donations, fundraising campaigns and partnership initiatives.
The charity supports services across Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which operates Bedford Hospital and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.