Poole Hospital Cancer Treatment Trust

The Poole Hospital Cancer Treatment Trust (PHCTT), established in 1972 by Marjorie Lewis-Manning, was a purpose-built charity dedicated exclusively to advancing cancer detection, treatment, and care at Poole Hospital and across Dorset. Over five decades, it raised over £10 million from local donors to fund transformative hospital improvements, embodying values of compassion, patient-centred innovation, and measurable local impact through close collaboration with clinical teams. In 2025, PHCTT merged with University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity, ringfencing all funds to perpetuate its legacy for Poole Hospital cancer services.

PHCTT funded only capital projects enhancing cancer care, such as state-of-the-art equipment (e.g., MRI scanners, ultrasound machines), facility expansions like the Lewis-Manning Scanner Suite, and diagnostic upgrades supporting surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and research for adults and children in Dorset. Beneficiaries were strictly Poole Hospital's cancer units and affiliated NHS services, prioritising high-impact infrastructure over community or general health initiatives.

No external entities were eligible; grants went solely to hospital-identified needs within Poole and Dorset, with no support for other charities, regardless of size or income. Unsolicited applications were never accepted. Typical grants ranged from £100,000 to £1,000,000 for major projects, awarded internally without deadlines or open processes—now fully managed by UHD Charity based on service priorities. Distinctively, PHCTT eschewed core costs, unrestricted funding, trading, or trustee payments, standing out for its laser-focused, evidence-driven equipment investments that delivered enduring clinical outcomes in a niche regional context, now sustained post-merger.