How is my donation spent?

When you donate to Hywel Dda Health Charities, your generosity directly supports NHS services across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, and Pembrokeshire.

Your donation will be allocated to:

• A specific fund if you’ve chosen to support a particular ward, department, service, or hospital.
• Our all-purpose fund (called our Making a Difference fund) if you haven’t specified a preference – helping us support the areas of greatest need across Hywel Dda.

Every donation is used above and beyond core NHS funding to enhance care and wellbeing for patients, families, and staff.

What we fund

We fund projects and items that make a real difference, such as:

• Extra comforts for patients
• The latest medical equipment
• Welcoming environments for patients, visitors, and staff
• Staff training, development, and wellbeing initiatives
• Research and innovation in treatments
• Enhanced care in our local communities.

Expenditure follows clear guidelines around what can and cannot be funded, ensuring every penny is spent responsibly.

How spending decisions are made

All funding requests come from staff employed by the health board and they are carefully reviewed based on:

• Guidelines around what can and cannot be funded
• Impact on patient care or staff wellbeing
• Availability of funds.

The approval process is as follows:

• Up to £10,000: Considered by the fund manager (a senior staff member from the relevant service)
• £10,000–£50,000: Considered by the Charitable Funds Sub-Committee (CFSC)
• Over £50,000: Considered by the Charitable Funds Committee (CFC).

Funding requests over £100,000 will also require the consideration and approval of the Corporate Trustee (which is the board of Hywel Dda University Health Board).

Our Charitable Funds Committee

The purpose of the CFC is to make and monitor arrangements for the control and management of the Health Board’s Charitable Funds. The CFC ensures all charitable funds are:

• Used in line with donors’ wishes and legal requirements
• Managed transparently and effectively
• Invested and spent to improve patient care and staff support.

You can view committee papers, terms of reference and decisions – including on all spending over £50,000 – on our Charitable Funds Committee page.

Transparency and accountability

Hywel Dda Health Charities is:

• A registered charity (No. 1147863)
• Regulated by the Charity Commission
• Signed up to the Fundraising Regulator, committing to legal, open, honest, and respectful fundraising.

We publish an annual report on the Charity Commission website detailing our income, expenditure, and impact.

See the difference you make

Visit our impact page, read our latest news, or follow us on social media to see how your donations are making a positive difference every day.

Have questions about how your donation is spent? Get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.