A generous legacy gift to Torbay and South Devon NHS Charity is helping create a calmer and more welcoming environment for patients attending appointments in the Heart and Lung Department at Torbay Hospital.
Thanks to a gift left to the Charity by Mr Kenneth Zaple, the pacemaker room has undergone refurbishment and now features a beautiful artwork installation designed to help put patients at ease during their appointments.
The artwork, Through the Meadow, was created by local printmaker Niamh Geraghty Morris and installed as part of the Charity’s wider work with artist in residence Helen Snell, Make Southwest and local artists to bring carefully curated artwork into healthcare settings. Colleagues from the Heart and Lung Department were involved in selecting the final piece, helping to ensure it reflected the calm and welcoming environment they wanted to create for patients and families.
The installation provides a focal point in a room where patients often attend for important checks and procedures and can understandably feel anxious or uncertain.
Luisa Cleverdon, CRM Lead Physiologist in the Heart and Lung Department, Torbay Hospital, said: “Many people attending the pacemaker clinic feel understandably anxious about their appointments. The difference this refurbishment and artwork have made has been remarkable. The room feels calmer, more welcoming and much less clinical. We’ve had really positive feedback from both patients and colleagues.”
Becky Chown, Fundraising Manager for Torbay and South Devon NHS Charity, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Mr Zaple for his generosity. Gifts left in Wills help us fund projects that can make a real difference to patients, families and colleagues, often in ways that NHS funding alone cannot.
“This is a wonderful example of how a legacy gift can have a lasting impact. The new artwork has transformed the feel of the room and will help create a calmer and more welcoming environment for patients for many years to come.
“As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Torbay and South Devon NHS Charity this year, it feels particularly fitting to recognise the difference that supporters like Mr Zaple continue to make across our hospitals and community services.”
The installation forms part of a wider programme of work led by the Charity, the Trust’s artist in residence and Make Southwest to improve healthcare environments across Torbay and South Devon NHS sites. The Charity has funded a growing number of projects that use art, design and creativity to make hospitals and community settings feel more welcoming and supportive for patients, visitors and colleagues.
Niamh Geraghty Morris, said: “I felt it was a real privilege to be involved and to donate a piece of art work to one of the spaces in the hospital and to know that people are benefiting from it.”
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Torbay and South Devon NHS Charity. For three decades, the Charity has supported patients, families, communities and NHS colleagues by funding projects, equipment and improvements that go beyond what NHS funding alone can provide.
Anyone interested in finding out more about leaving a gift in their Will to Torbay and South Devon NHS Charity can visit the Charity’s website or contact the fundraising team.
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