Cumbria hospitals charity left £350,000 in wills

Furness General Hospital in Barrow is run by UHMBT

Nearly £350,000 has been left in wills to south Cumbria hospitals this year.

The Bay Hospitals Charity said it had received £250,000 from one individual as well as three donations of more than £20,000.

It said NHS budgets cover essential services but donations help in providing extras, including specialist equipment.

Head of charities and fundraising Suzanne Lofthouse said many people give money "as a way of saying thank you".

She said: "We are so grateful to the generous donors who leave money in their wills to support our hospitals and help them to deliver the best possible patient care.

"Many of those who leave money to Bay Hospitals Charity do so as a way of saying thank you for care they or their loved ones have received through our hospitals."

'Lasting legacy'

The charity supports the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust (UHMBT).

It pays for the latest equipment "to help make patients more comfortable and ensure they get the best possible care and treatment", it said.

UHMBT medical director Jane McNicholas said all donations were "hugely appreciated" and left a "lasting legacy" for the future.

"It's incredibly moving to know that the care provided by our hospitals inspires people to support us by leaving something to us after they have passed away," she said.

Nearly all hospitals have charities dedicated to channelling donations, although critics have suggested this can lead to them subsidising state funding.