Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Charitable Fund

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Charitable Fund, established in 1995 as an NHS hospital charity governed by the Trust as Corporate Trustee, exists to enhance patient care, staff welfare, and innovation across its hospitals in Truro, Hayle, and Penzance, serving Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Its mission focuses on public benefit through funding enhancements beyond core NHS budgets, including patient welfare items, state-of-the-art equipment, clinical research, staff training, and holistic therapies. Rooted in values of additionality, local impact, and NHS excellence, it manages over 100 general and restricted funds targeting acute/specialist healthcare, cancer support, paediatrics, end-of-life care, diabetes, audiology, and more, with recent expenditures like £275,000 on equipment and £193,000 on staff development.

It funds projects benefiting patients of all ages, NHS staff, and indirectly the local community, such as advanced ICU beds, reiki therapies via the Cove Appeal, and research improving diagnostics—prioritising staff-led innovations with proven clinical enhancement.

Unsolicited applications from external charities are not accepted; funding requests must come from contracted Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust staff via an internal online form (under £5,000 decided in ~4 weeks) or email for larger proposals requiring quarterly Charitable Funds Committee approval (meetings March, June, September, December; papers due ~4 weeks prior). No income/size rules apply, but projects must be hospital-based.

Exclusions include core costs, unrestricted grants, non-NHS activities, or anything outside Cornwall/Isles of Scilly. Distinctive for its exclusive hospital-centric remit, collaborative potential with local health charities, and agile response to emerging needs, it uniquely augments statutory services for maximum local acute care impact. Typical grants: £5,000–£50,000.