Queen Elizabeth Hospital stroke ward given funding boost

Mintlyn Crematorium, owned and managed by the borough council, will donate £14,000 to the stroke ward at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.

The ward, known as West Raynham, offers specialist care around the clock.

The team ensures patients have access to care and treatment pathways from acute treatments to life after stroke rehabilitation.

Many stroke patients face the grief of loss, whether it be physical capacities, speech, cognition or even their identity, as they adjust to a new life that has changed suddenly.

The team extends support to patients and their families in these difficult times, working alongside the Bereaved Relatives’ Service and the Trust Chaplaincy when recovery isn't possible.

The funds for the donation were raised through a charitable scheme run by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM), of which Mintlyn is a member.

In this scheme, metal from medical implants is recycled after cremation, with permission from the deceased's family, and the institute asks members to nominate local charities twice a year for receiving donations.

Cllr Bal Anota, cabinet member for Property and Corporate Services, at the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk said: "Staff on the stroke ward at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital do incredible work to help patients who have had a stroke to get the support and rehabilitation they need.

"The team on this ward really do change peoples lives for the better and I’m pleased that this donation can help them with their vital work.

"Mintlyn Crematorium has now donated more than £160,000 to support charities through this charitable scheme and I hope people who are bereaved take comfort from that."

Head of nursing - medicine, at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Karon Strong, said: "This £14,000 donation is hugely welcome and will help our clinical teams to enhance patient care for stroke patients on West Raynham ward as well as the support we provide to families and carers."