I want to know about Special Purpose Funds
Special Purpose Funds are created when significant funds are donated to us for a specific purpose.
These could be funds donated to honour the care of a loved one on a ward, or to support a particular type of research.
Staff can use these funds to drive improvements. Each Special Purpose Fund has a fundholder and deputy fundholders who are responsible for planning how to spend the donations received.
Special Purpose Funds are usually highly restricted and we work with the fundholders to ensure that they are managed carefully and provide the maximum possible benefit for patients and staff.
Special Purpose Funds rely entirely on donations from patients, staff and members of the public. There are around 200 funds of varying sizes and purposes across the Trust and over 20 for Evelina London.
In 2020-21 c.£4.9m was distributed through Special Purpose Funds , directly benefiting both patient and staff welfare by supporting a range of activities over and above that which is usually available on NHS budgets. £735,000 was disbursed via Special Purpose Funds restricted to supporting Evelina London.
This could include investment in education, patient care, equipment, research, and staff wellbeing across many different wards, clinics and departments across Evelina and community sites that support children.
For example, recently the South Thames Retrieval Service (STRS) fund has provided comfort packs for every parent or carer transferring with a child in the STRS intensive care ambulance as well as a soft elephant for the child or baby. Meanwhile, the Neonatal Unit fund purchased closed heated cots which have been in constant use at the unit.
If you’re a fundholder we will ask you to prepare a Spending Plan annually to tell us how you intend to spend donated funds.
We love hearing about how fundholders have been spending donated funds, so please get in touch if you would like to tell us about anything especially interesting or impactful that you’ve done with your special purpose fund.