Great South Run 2023: NHS charity boss to raise cash for improved Portsmouth hospital patient facilities

Kate Sandys, 43, from Hilsea, is one of about 75 staff members from Portsmouth hospitals to take on the race to raise funds for Portsmouth Hospitals Charity.

Funds raised will buy medical equipment and provisions across wards and departments in Portsmouth including neonatal care, end-of-life support, and for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

READ NOW: Pensioner attacked

Portsmouth Hospitals Charity head, Kate, said: “We do an awful lot within the charity to enhance patient care. Whether that be through provisional or enhanced medical equipment or whether it’s to provide things like scalp coolers for people who are undergoing chemotherapy.

“As a charity, we're here to provide things that are an enhancement to the care that the NHS is there to provide.”

Of the runners taking part include teams from the neonatal unit, the A&E department and the trust’s leadership team. As a collective, staff have so far raised about £10,000. For Kate, this is the first time she is running the race in seven years.

She hopes through funding, the trust can also provide more of the “little things” to help end-of-life patient care - known as ‘Butterfly Resources’. “If you come into hospital unexpectedly and you haven't got things like a toothbrush, toothpaste, it's all of those little things that make a difference,” she said.

“There’s also things like Butterfly Resources - which help end-of-life patient care. Things like writing pads so messages can be written, things that just make a patient more comfortable in those last hours. It's those extras that the charity can do for people that perhaps couldn't be done otherwise.”

In 2022, cash raised by runners funded wall mural work in x-ray rooms so they were less “clinical” for patients with conditions like dementia. Funding for additional care like scalp coolers can also help chemotherapy patients with hair loss and lessen their symptoms.

Kate added: “Ultimately, we can only do what we do because of the support in our community. It’s such a lovely role because not only do I get to see how the money makes a difference in a hospital. I also get to meet the people who want to donate to make that difference.”

To donate to Kate’s fundraising page go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kate-sandys