DORSET County Hospital Charity has thanked a former patient who left them a gift in their will which went towards upgrading the eye department at the hospital.

As part of the tenth national 'Remember a Charity in Your Will Week' on September 9-15, the charity is inspiring its supporters to take action and write a gift into their will to provide secure income for the charity's future.

DCH Charity has been fortunate to receive several generous legacies in recent years. These gifts help to develop new services for the benefit of today’s patients and those of future generations.

One such gift was left by a former patient of the hospital's eye department, she left a gift that was spent on a combination retinal scanner and camera which allows eye doctors to diagnose and monitor many serious eye conditions.

Lucy Howe, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Royal Eye Infirmary at Dorset County Hospital said: “We were very pleased to receive a significant legacy from a patient who had attended the Eye department at Dorset County Hospital. The kindness of this individual has enabled us to purchase a new piece of equipment for our patients.

"This new camera has increased the number of patients we can see and means that we can take both a photograph and retinal scan without the patient having to move. It will enable us to run specialist clinics to care for even more patients in the eye department at Dorset County Hospital.”

Simon Pearson, Head of Fundraising at Dorset County Hospital Charity said: “If you do decide to leave a gift in your Will to Dorset County Hospital we promise that we will always respect your privacy. We understand that family and friends come first and will not put you under any pressure – you can also change your mind at any time. We will use your special gift to enhance care for patients at Dorset county Hospital in accordance with your wishes.”

Simon added,

“If you would like to visit us to talk through any questions we would be very happy to arrange a meeting to discuss how your support would help care for patients in the future.”

For more information about the work of Dorset County Hospital Charity, or to discuss leaving a gift in your Will, please email charity@dchft.nhs.uk or phone Simon Pearson on 01305 253470.