Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
It’s normal to have questions about donating, fundraising, or even general questions about the charity. We have compiled a list of our most frequently asked questions that may address your queries. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to reach out to us via our contact page. We are here to assist you and provide any additional information you may need. Your support and engagement mean the world to us, and we want to ensure you have all the answers you seek.
General questions
Royal Devon Hospitals Charity (Registered Charity Number 1061384) is the new name for Over and Above and the RD&E Charity. The charities have joined forces to help the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust go the extra mile, raising funds to provide facilities over and above what’s possible with NHS funding.
Royal Devon Hospitals Charity reaches and rallies supporters to help power up and push the limit of what’s possible with NHS funding. The charity supports Royal Devon’s 2 acute hospitals, 17 community hospitals and a range of community, specialist and primary care services across northern, mid and eastern Devon. Every hospital, ward and service has its own fund where money can be used to buy new state-of the-art equipment, create world-class patient and staff environments, support additional staff development, training and wellbeing projects, and fund cutting edge research and development.
Yes of course! You choose where the money you raise goes. There are currently 277 different funds to support Royal Devon’s hospitals, wards and services across northern, mid and eastern Devon and if you’d like to find out more about the different areas, then please get in touch. Any funding not allocated to a specific ward or department will be used to help do brilliant things at our hospitals, wherever the need is greatest. Expert medical care …every day, every night, every patient, every condition, every ward, every step of the way.
Unfortunately, Government funding will only go so far and like many health and medical services, such as hospices and air ambulances, hospitals can only provide some of the services they offer thanks to the support of the general public. For example, the Seamoor Unit, the chemotherapy and day treatment centre at North Devon District Hospital, only opened in 2015 following a £2.2m fundraising appeal by Over and Above. In 2020, the charity raised a further £1.5m to build The Fern Centre, a bespoke cancer and wellbeing centre, also at the hospital. The RD&E Charity has been able to improve facilities for younger patients at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital thanks to the £250,000 Starfish Appeal.
We’d love for you to get involved and help us to power-up our hospitals. Take a look at the Get Involved section on our website to find out more about how you can help, or talk to our fundraising teams based at the RD&E and NDDH. The door’s always open and there’s nothing we love more than a good natter about raising money for our Trust. Please also get in touch to tell us about the brilliant things you’re doing to raise funds for your ward or department, and the impact your efforts have on patients and staff. You can find all our contact details here.
Royal Devon Hospitals Charity welcomes all feedback, whether positive or negative, as it provides us with valuable information and enables us to build strong and lasting relationships with our supporters. However, we also have a robust complaints procedure in place. If you have a complaint regarding the charity, please get in touch.
My donation
As well as making a regular donation, you can support Royal Devon Hospitals Charity in a number of different ways. You could leave gift in your Will, donate in memory of a loved one, play our weekly lottery or support our charity shops. You could even donate your time as a volunteer to help our fundraising team do even more to support our local NHS. Find out more here
Yes of course! You choose where the money you raise goes. There are currently 277 different funds to support Royal Devon’s hospitals, wards and services across northern, mid and eastern Devon. If you’d like to find out more about the different areas, then please get in touch.
Yes, any funding not allocated to a specific ward or department will be used to help do brilliant things at our hospitals, wherever the need is greatest. Expert medical care …every day, every night, every patient, every condition, every ward, every step of the way.
Absolutely! Setting up a recurring donation helps us to plan for the future and ensures future generations can benefit from the very best health care at your local hospital. Donate here.
You can pay your fundraising donations quickly and easily online by clicking here Alternatively, you can pay donations by cheque. Please ensure cheques are made payable to Royal Devon Hospitals Charity and include a reference with your name, contact details and information of your fundraising event. You are of course also welcome to drop your in fundraising to one of our fundraising offices!
Yes please! If you are a taxpayer, we can claim an additional 25p for every £1 you donate, at no extra cost to you! Just fill in our online Gift Aid form and tick the box when making a donation. Find out more here.
There are lots of fun ways you can raise money for the hospital, ward or department that you would like to support – from cake sales and raffles to fun days and adrenaline-fuelled daredevil challenges! Take a look at our events page for inspiration, or if you have your own ideas please get in touch.
Donating in memory of a loved one is an incredible way to celebrate the life of someone special. Whether you'd like to make a one-off gift, hold a funeral collection or create a tribute fund, your support ensures future generations can benefit from the very best health care at your local hospital. Donate here.
Yes, by leaving a gift to Royal Devon Hospitals Charity in your Will, you can leave a legacy to the hospital, ward or service most valued to you for years to come. Find out more here
Appeals
Any donations towards a particular appeal will go directly to that appeal. If for any unforeseen reason, we are unable to fund a particular project, or there are surplus funds left over, we will ensure donations are used to do brilliant things at our hospitals, wherever the need is greatest.
You can track the progress of an appeal in a number of different ways. We’ll be regularly updating the appeal pages on our website, and you can also check the latest fundraising tally on the appeal donation pages. Look out for appeal update stories in our news section, and on our social media too! And don’t forget to join our mailing list to stay up-to-date with any major appeal landmarks and all the latest Royal Devon Hospitals Charity news.
Before the confetti even settles, we’ll be spreading news of our collective awesomeness far and wide! We’ll ensure the money is used for its intended purpose and will check in from time to time to show supporters how a particular project or service is making a difference to patients. If for any unforeseen reason, we are unable to fund a particular project, or there are surplus funds left over, we will ensure donations are used to do brilliant things at our hospitals, wherever the need is greatest.
Volunteering
Volunteering is a super way to support the charity. To find out more about the type of roles available and how you can make a difference, please get in touch.
Our incredible volunteers help Royal Devon Hospitals Charity in a number of different ways, at fundraising events, and in our charity shops and hospitals. No matter how much time you’re able to give, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch to find out more about the types of role available and how you can make a difference.
Why has the charity changed?
The charities have come together following the merger of the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust in April 2022. The merger has given the charities the opportunity to improve visibility, awareness and understanding about the difference fundraising makes. By working together and pooling resources and expertise, we hope the charity can have a greater impact across northern, eastern and mid Devon.
The original names didn’t really explain what the charity does and were sometimes a barrier to understanding, particularly for new supporters. The new name communicates what the charity does much more clearly, and the branding has been refreshed to make it more relevant and recognisable, and to increase the visibility of the charity across the Trust’s sites. We hope it will make the charity stand out from the crowd and, over time, help Royal Devon Hospitals Charity to become a household charity in Devon for anyone wanting to support the health and wellbeing sector. The change has been made following significant research, consultation and learning from other NHS Charities across the UK who have successfully gone through a similar process.
Both charities have a proven track record of delivering essential funding for our NHS but by working together, we’ve been able to pool our knowledge, resources, systems and processes. This efficiency will ultimately mean we’re spending less on administration and duplication, with more money going directly to hospitals, wards and services. The change has been made following significant research, consultation and learning from other NHS Charities across the UK that have successfully gone through a similar process.
The charity has secured a development grant from NHS Charities Together to recruit a Marketing and Communications Officer, and to enlist the support of a design agency to support the rebranding project with marketing materials and a new website.
Absolutely! Nothing has changed other than the name of the charity and any money previously raised remains ringfenced for the ward or department it was raised for. Altogether, there are 277 different funds, and these are individually managed by ward or department fundholders. If you have a specific ward or department you would like to support, or if you would like to find out about the different areas, then please get in touch. Any funding not allocated to a specific ward or department will be used to help do brilliant things at our hospitals, wherever the need is greatest. Expert medical care …every day, every night, every patient, every condition, every ward, every step of the way.
Yes. The most important point for us to make, is that the only real change to our shops will be the name above the door (the new signs are once again being generously provided by Tesco)! Funds raised in our shops will continue to support the Fern Centre, and we will be working hard to reinforce this message in the local community. No funds from our two shops in North Devon will leave North Devon.
