The Serenity Appeal will enable DBTH to bring their bereavement care within maternity up to date, and allow the team to provide those who require their services with a gold standard of care. The money raised through the appeal will be used to purchase a new scanning machine for Bassetlaw Hospital’s Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU), renovate counselling rooms both at DRI and Bassetlaw, as well as create the Serenity Suite itself.
This suite will be a space for families to go if they have experienced a bereavement, and give them the privacy that they require to mourn, and spend time with, their new-born. Howdens’ will be installing the kitchen in the suite, which will give families the opportunity to make refreshments without leaving the room and ensure that they can spend as much time as possible with their child.
Alongside the donation of a kitchen, the Howdens team will also be supporting the appeal by placing fundraising buckets at the depot, giving their staff and customers the opportunity to donate to the appeal as well.
Nicola White, The Howden’s Kirk Sandall Depot Manager, sadly experienced the loss of a child recently and was one of many employees at the depot that wanted to support the appeal. She said: “At Howden’s we had an opportunity to support our local area through charitable donations. Numerous members of the team are connected with the Children’s Ward at DRI in a variety of ways, so for us it was a way of giving back to our local community and supporting a fantastic project.
“This suite will give people that private time to process things, and when you are in that situation yourself its quite difficult to cope as there is a lot going on around you. The appeal touched a lot of our hearts, and we are delighted to be able to help where we can.”
Mathew Proctor, who is one of two bereavement midwives at the Trust, said: “We would like to express our thanks to Howdens Kirk Sandall for donating this kitchen to our Serenity Suite. It will ensure that the room caters to all the needs of those families who require its services, and give them as much time as possible to spend together, as a family.
“The Serenity appeal is an exciting project that will enable us to significantly improve the standard of care that we are able to provide, and ensure that our patients have the best facilities possible. We hope that the improvements made will help families begin their bereaving process in the best manor possible.”
The appeal has got off to a fantastic start, however it still needs support and there are a number of ways that you can donate. Whether you want to make a one-off donation, take part in a sponsored event, or create your own fundraising project – please head to https://dbthcharity.co.uk/serenity-appeal/ for more details.
If you have questions or would like to request more information in regards to this appeal, or for any other charitable project at the Trust, please contact the Charity Team on Tel: 01302 644244, email: DBTH.Charity@nhs.net or head to http://www.dbth.nhs.uk/charity