Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust Charity

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust Charity (also known as Mid and South Essex Hospitals Charity, registered 1057266), established in 1996, supports the NHS Foundation Trust serving 1.2 million people across Basildon, Broomfield, and Southend hospitals in Mid and South Essex. Its core mission is to raise funds for enhancements beyond standard NHS budgets, improving patient, family, and staff health, wellbeing, and experiences through innovation, education, research, equipment, facilities, and welfare initiatives. Guided by values of public benefit, donor alignment, patient/staff needs, partnerships, equality, and transparent governance, it prioritizes evidence-led, collaborative projects for immediate and long-term impact.

The charity funds patient and staff welfare (e.g., mental health programs, rest areas), care innovations, medical equipment, professional development, environmental upgrades, and healthcare outcomes. It supports internal NHS initiatives, staff-led projects, and targeted partnerships like the Community Partnership Grants Programme for voluntary groups tackling health inequalities, deprivation, and access barriers in Mid and South Essex. Recent examples include £200,000+ for staff wellbeing, dementia-friendly wards, specialist nurses, and renal equipment.

Eligibility is restricted to Trust-affiliated projects, hospital departments, staff proposals, or pre-approved local voluntary partners strictly within Mid and South Essex; no income/size thresholds apply, but external charities rarely qualify. Unsolicited applications are not accepted—contact the team by phone first for discussions. Grants range from £5,000 to £200,000 (often £50,000+ for major capital/staff projects), awarded as-needed without fixed deadlines or public calls; exceptional programmes like community grants operate by invitation.

Distinctively, it avoids core operating costs and unsolicited externals, focusing instead on NHS-complementing innovations responsive to staff/patient feedback, with rigorous governance ensuring donor intent and measurable local impact.