Leaving a legacy to our hospitals

Legacies to our hospitals have a huge impact, funding the latest medical equipment and pioneering research, and creating more comfortable and welcoming hospital environments for patients, young and old.

A gift in your Will, big or small, can help transform care for hundreds and even thousands of local patients for years to come. It can also be a tax-efficient way of managing your finances.

Important information you need to include

Legacies have enabled our charity to make inspiring improvements to care across all our hospitals.

In recent years gifts through Wills supported the Oxford Children's Hospital, the Oxford Eye Hospital, the Brodey Cancer Centre at the Horton and pioneering cancer and cardiac research projects.

In fact, there's a long history of the impact of legacies dating back as far as the very first hospital in Oxford. This was founded in 1758 thanks to a legacy from Dr John Radcliffe, the physician to Queen Anne.

This tradition of caring for the future of others in the local community is the fundamental basis of our hospital charity.

With our charity, you have the benefit of knowing that your donation will be spent in your local hospitals, and could benefit friends, family and your local community long into the future.

As none of us know the exact direction medical developments will lead us to in the future, we suggest donors ask their solicitor to liaise with us about the precise wording in their Will. This will ensure the gift is flexible enough to cope with medical innovations and future developments, and we can use the gift wisely and respectfully, in line with the donor's wishes.

Some decide to leave a legacy as a 'thank you' for the care they, or a loved one, have received at one of our hospitals, or through the desire to fund medical advances and improvements in care that will benefit their own families and communities in the future.

Taking the time to make a Will gives you peace of mind, and ensures that the people you love, and the causes you care about most, are provided for.

By leaving a legacy to Oxford Hospitals Charity you will be helping to ensure that future generations benefit from the very best healthcare and latest research here in your hospital.

Information for your Will The following information will help you or your solicitor, but don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you would like more guidance. Our charity is called 'Oxford Hospitals Charity' Our registered charity number is 1175809 Our address is: Oxford Hospitals Charity Unipart House Garsington Road Oxford OX4 2PG

When writing a Will

We recommend using a qualified professional to help you create your Will. This makes sure your wishes are clear and the Will is legally sound.

If you already have a Will, a solicitor can easily amend it for you by writing a codicil to file alongside the existing Will.

Where possible, we encourage broad support, such as choosing to support the charity as a whole (so we can direct your fund to our areas of greatest need) or one of our hospitals or larger medical areas.

This ensures your donation is flexible enough to adjust to future advances in medical technology and be used where the need is greatest.

You should name the charity, Oxford Hospitals Charity, and include the registered charity number (1175809).

If you wish to specify a particular hospital or area It is helpful to say 'I wish to support …' as this means if the area is re-named, or medical technology changes substantially, we can ensure your gift can still be used.

There are three main ways of making a donation through your Will.

• A residuary legacy is a percentage of your estate - you can include your loved ones and charitable causes and will know that the value of these gifts will not decrease with inflation.
• A pecuniary legacy is a fixed sum of money.
• You can also choose to leave a specific gift - such as a building, piece of land or shares.

We would welcome the chance to talk to you about how a gift in your Will could help across our hospitals. If you would like to find out more, please contact us, or ask your solicitor to contact us. Tel: 01865 743 444 Email: [email protected]