OperationHero

What is an NHS Charity?

NHS Charities provide extra care and support for NHS patients and staff, enabling health services to do more. We do not replace core funding, we enhance what is already available, providing additional support that prevents ill health and improves services for patients and staff.

We are the legal way the NHS receives, holds and spends charitable funds, and are dedicated to solely supporting the NHS. We exist for the benefit of current and future NHS patients and staff.

As the official charity of NHS Lothian, we are the only charity dedicated to supporting all of NHS Lothian’s work, all its staff and all the patients and families it cares for. We work in strategic partnership with our NHS Lothian colleagues and other partners to support ways to make the hospital environment a more welcoming place to be, make a patient’s stay more comfortable, fund additional equipment or technology that can help speed up recovery but is not part of core delivery, support the emotional and physical wellbeing of staff, and fund research that could have the potential to transform the way that care is delivered.  

We are here to strengthen NHS Lothian’s ability to excel for the communities it serves. The support we provide, combined with our expertise and experience, helps create opportunities that enable NHS Lothian to foster innovation, explore ideas and transform healthcare. Together, we make healthcare better.

Find out more about some of the amazing projects we’ve supported

The waiting area at Dunbar Medical Practice

Creating a Calming Space: Enhancing the Waiting Room at Dunbar Medical Practice

Waiting for an appointment can be stressful for patients and families. Thanks to generous donations, Dunbar Medical Practice has transformed their waiting area into a warm, welcoming space where patients and families feel more comfortable and at ease.

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waiting area in the children's ward hub at St John's Hospital

Creating a Brighter, More Welcoming Space: Upgrading the Children’s Ward Hub at St John’s Hospital

The hub on the children’s ward at St John’s Hospital is the heart of the team’s work. A space where staff coordinate care and sometimes invite families to discuss treatment plans

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Mr Peter Vaughan-Shaw, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at the Western General Hospital, standing beside a Lumeneye machine

How Your Support is Helping NHS Lothian Bring Advanced Diagnostics to Outpatient Care

Thanks to your generous support, the Colorectal Unit at Western General Hospital has introduced the Lumeneye System into outpatient clinics.

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Gordon with his medal haul - Bronze (5Km walk), Bronze (400m), Silver (200m) at the British Transplant Games 2025

Celebrating the Gift of Life: Supporting the Edinburgh Transplant Team at the British Transplant Games

Every year, hundreds of people across the UK receive a life-saving organ transplant. But leaving the operating theatre is just the beginning.

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