News and press releases

LONDON 4th December - TV presenter and Wellbeing of Women celebrity ambassador Fiona Bruce today visited BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital in North West London to accept a donation of £35,000 from the hospital and its parent company BMI Healthcare.

The donation, which includes money raised by staff at several of the 60+ BMI hospitals across the country, will be used to fund much-needed research into incontinence, a distressing condition which affects 1 in 3 women in the UK. The funds will also enable Wellbeing of Women to conduct research into other gynaecological diseases and conditions, such as cancers, menopause, prolapse, sexual health, menstrual disorders, endometriosis as well as pregnancy and fertility issues.

Before accepting the donation, Fiona Bruce toured The Clementine and met with patients, staff and specialists to learn about the great variety of important women’s health services provided at the hospital – from cervical screening to gynaecology surgery to fertility and pelvic floor treatments, among many others.

Fiona Bruce comments: “I am so grateful to all of the staff working at BMI Hospitals across the country for their efforts to raise funds for Wellbeing of Women and their support of our young doctors.”
 
BMI’s donation will cover the cost of a Wellbeing of Women Entry Level Scholarship, awarded to Dr Evangelia Bakali, an incontinence researcher at the University of Leicester. The awards are designed not only to take medical research forward, but also to foster the next generation of specialist doctors in this area. Within a year, Dr Bakali will have gained vital research experience, and much more will be known about treatment for overactive bladder disease.

Professor Duncan Empey, FRCP Group Medical Director for BMI Healthcare, said: “At BMI, we have some the best and brightest gynaecologists in the country working alongside our dedicated nurses and staff to ensure that our patients receive outstanding standards of care, compassion and understanding. Each day we see first-hand the distress and struggles caused by different women’s illnesses and conditions - be it incontinence or cervical cancer, so we are very proud to support Wellbeing of Women’s efforts to fund studies into advances in gynaecological medicine and to aid the professional development of young clinicians and researchers in the UK.”

Director of Wellbeing of Women Liz Campbell commented: “We are delighted to partner with BMI Healthcare. This is an outstanding level of support for research into an ‘unfashionable’ disease, and it is tremendous to see the independent healthcare sector making an investment in the next generation of specialist doctors.”