This statement was read out word for word at a recent Health Forum meeting to announce the closure of the Charity
Firstly, I’d like to thank the Forum for allowing me to speak to the meeting today.
My name is Carol French and I am the Treasurer and one of the Trustees of the Charity, Friends of Bridlington Hospital. We have received numerous enquiries about the Charity and I like to take this opportunity of letting you know what has been happening.
In 2023 the Charity passed a resolution to dissolve the Charity in accordance with its Constitution and placed upon its Trustees the task of winding up the Charity and disposing of its funds, taking into account the rules of the Charity Commission; ending the Charity’s 73 year association with the various Hospitals in Bridlington.
As the Charity had sizeable funds available an approach was made to the York & Scarborough Trust expressing the wish to donate £25,000 to a specific project to benefit the patients of the Hospital. No project was forthcoming and the various Ward Sisters were asked by the Trust to put forward suggestions for items to be purchased. Time elapsed and by January 2024 on behalf of the Charity I wrote to Simon Morritt and Martin Barkley CEO and Chair of the Trust respectively outlining the lack of progress. Mr Morritt’s Executive Assistant responded to the letter within days apologising for what the Charity considered to be a “lack of progress” and hoped that things would move forward.
The list of requirements included a Refrigerator £150 and Model Eyeball (£30) for the Ophthalmology Dept; a Hoist (£1,960) and 2 Bladder Scanners (£1,6,995 each) BCU (Bridlington Community Unit and Kent Ward);a Bath Hoist (£1,860) for Johnson Ward , replacement TVs for Kent Ward (£4,700) and an Interactive Rehabilitation Tool (£5,539) for the Stroke Unit and Medicine Trolleys (£1,311 each). These individual requests were carefully considered, having sought details of the items; which were not easily obtained from the Trust but agreed by the Charity. At one point thereafter adjustments were made by the Trust removing a bladder scanner and refrigerator and adding endoscopy equipment, for the Shephard Day Ward (£2,515), we were informed that a committee had to agree the purchases by the Trust, which meant further delays. Basically a great deal of time has been wasted by unnecessary bureaucracy and more particularly the lack of communication which I will not outline at the moment.
In September 2024 I spoke with Jenny McAleese (Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee ) when the Trust held a meeting here in this building outlining the Charity’s frustration at the continued lack of progress, and she reported back stating that “prescribed procurement procedures have to be followed”! It is now some 19 months since this considerable donation was offered.
I attended at the Hospital yesterday as a last week we had three/four items still outstanding. However, I can confirm that the majority of items have now been received and are in use. At the present time I confirm that some of the TV’s have ben installed but some remain to be installed. The wrong brackets were received for the TV’s and had to be returned. The walls have had to be refurbished and strengthened. A Technician then has to come from York to program them The catalogue of issues continues which the Charity consider to be a complete farce. A bath hoist was delivered but it did not fit the bath. Unbeknown to the Ward staff the Estates Dept in York decided to replace the bath which when installed did not have any handles.! A new bath hoist will hopefully be ordered within the next few days
All we can say is the people’s money that is waiting to be used and it should not take 19 months to obtain items which everyone agrees would benefit patients in Bridlington Hospital.
The Charity has now ceased actively fundraising, as the Trust does not seem to want to receive the hard earned funds the people of Bridlington and surrounding areas have raised.
The Charity will continue to support the Hospital and hope that this particular saga will come to fruition shortly, but rest assured the Charity will ensure that the funds are spent to benefit the patients of Bridlington Hospital. Any funds remaining will still go to benefit of patients but hopefully the Charity can make the purchases themselves to by-pass the protracted bureaucracy imposed on these current purchases.
Under the rules of the Charity Commission we have to run for a further three years to ensure the Charity is closed following its requirements.
[As an aside to this I would point out that the York Trust has its own Charity, but if you wish to make a donation please state the Hospital you wish your donation to go.]
Thank you again for allowing me to pass this information on to the general public.
Carol French/Treasurer & Trustee