North Cumbria Hospitals NHS Charity

North Cumbria Hospitals NHS Charity, established in 1996 under the Umbrella Charity Model, supports patients, families, and staff at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven by raising funds for enhancements beyond core NHS budgets. Its mission is to improve patient experiences, boost service quality, and foster staff wellbeing through targeted investments in facilities, equipment, and welfare. Guided by values of generosity, compassion, and responsiveness, it prioritizes public benefit and frontline-identified needs, with decision-making delegated to hospital managers for agile, practical impact.

The charity funds specialist medical equipment (e.g., thoracoscopes for cancer care, cot beds for baby units), patient amenities (e.g., TVs in renal units, motobed bikes), staff training and wellbeing initiatives, and projects reducing wait times or aiding vulnerable groups. Beneficiaries are exclusively NHS patients, families, and staff at these North Cumbria hospitals, emphasizing technology, safety, care quality, and access improvements.

Eligibility is strictly internal: only proposals from Cumberland Infirmary or West Cumberland Hospital staff/managers qualify—no unsolicited external applications from charities or organizations. Geographic focus is limited to North Cumbria (Carlisle and Whitehaven); no income thresholds apply.

Grants are awarded on a rolling basis with no deadlines, via a tiered approval process—up to £5,000 by fund managers, £5,000–£20,000 needing executive sign-off, and over £20,000 requiring trustees. Typical awards are small (£5,000 or less), with recent totals at £303,000 (2023/24) and £480,000 (2022/23). It excludes core NHS costs, unrestricted external funding, and non-local projects, distinguishing itself through deep NHS integration and patient/staff-led responsiveness.