Fisher House at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Providing a “home away from home” for military patients and their families www.fisherhouseuk.org Fisher House is a “home away from home” for military patients and their families, located within walking distance of the hospital, officially opened on 21 June 2013 by HRH The Prince of Wales Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham “I’m very proud of the care we provide for our injured and sick servicemen and women here at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. It is wonderful to be able to accommodate their families in the superb facility that is Fisher House.” Dame Julie Moore, Chief Executive of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust “We hope that having family close by will speed up patients’ recoveries. For the families themselves, we believe it will be massively reassuring to know they can be by their loved one’s bedside within minutes.” Colonel Kevin Beaton, Commanding Officer for the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine What is Fisher House? About QEHB Charity Fisher House is a “home away from home” for military patients and their loved ones at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity is the hospital’s official charity. It exists for the benefit of patients; funding equipment, facilities and patient welfare and research that aren’t provided as standard by the NHS. None of the donations it receives are used to replace core NHS funding. What does Fisher House offer? At Fisher House, families can stay in a supportive environment just a short walk from their loved ones undergoing treatment at the hospital. Each of the 18 spacious en-suite bedrooms provides a safe haven, fully equipped with a king-sized bed, fitted wardrobes, desk and chair and sofa bed. We understand that families take great comfort and strength from sharing their experiences with others in the same situation. That is why we have put communal living at the heart of Fisher House. In addition to providing each family with their own private room, facilities at the house include a family room and play area, lounges, dining areas and laundry room. The kitchen is always stocked with essential provisions such as tea, coffee and bread and outside there is a private garden with space for children to play and guest parking. Fisher House offers patients the chance to spend time with their loved ones away from the wards. Designed for people of all abilities, the home is largely open plan with wide connecting corridors and wheelchair accessible lifts. Next door to Fisher House is the hospital’s sports and leisure facility. The Morris Centre offers a 22 metre swimming pool, two squash courts, multi-use games area and gym. The charity also supports the UK’s military patients. The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine is based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, which is the primary receiving treatment hospital for all injured British military personnel. NHS and military clinical staff share skills, experience and training to deliver the best care to operational casualties as well as non-operational patients from around the world, including routine military referrals. The medical care provided at QEHB is second to none and medics from around the world come to the hospital to learn from its experience in dealing with military casualties. “We are immensely proud of what we have achieved with Fisher House. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity has long played an important role in supporting military patients at the hospital by funding rehabilitation equipment and kitting out the ward common room. We are delighted that we are now able to give the same quality of care and support to their family members at a difficult, emotional and challenging time. We know that caring for their loved ones will make a huge difference to how quickly our injured troops recover. I would therefore like to thank everyone who has given their time, energy and funding to Fisher House.” Mike Hammond, Chief Executive of Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity How you can help The Fisher House is funded completely by charitable donations and recognises the special sacrifices of our men and women in the armed services, as well as the demands on family life experienced by their loved ones. Military patients and family members do not pay to stay at Fisher House, regardless of their length of stay. With Fisher House UK building completed our fundraising at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Charity turns to the ongoing running costs for the next 30 years plus. The cost to run Fisher House is £250,000 per annum and you can help us achieve this figure in a variety of ways. From running a marathon, having a cake sale to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and everything in between the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Charity can help and support you in your fundraising for Fisher House UK, just ask us and we can help and give guidance. “I would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all the people who have worked so hard to build Fisher House. The concept is a great concept. Not just for the practical facilities it will provide, but for the immense emotional support it will offer to injured soldiers and their families alike. To have injured personnel at different stages of recovery using the house will be so valuable for those at the beginning of this terrifying journey.” Sophie Sinnott, Wife of Captain Luke Sinnott Please also consider becoming a “Friend of Fisher House” with a £25 annual donation. Every £25 donation allows us to offer accommodation to a family for another night. I would like to become a Friend of Fisher House and enclose a donation of £25 If you are a UK taxpayer, QEHB Charity can reclaim tax on your donation if you tick this box paid income or capital gains tax at least equal to the tax reclaimed. Name Address Email Please return to: QEHB Charity, 5th Floor Nuffield House, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham B15 2TH Registered Charity number 1093989 www.qehb.org [email protected] other . You must have