Some gifts make an impact today. Others have the power to help shape what comes next.
That was the spirit of a special Friends for the Future gathering hosted by the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation, bringing together members of the Foundation’s bequest community with Her Excellency the Honourable Caroline Wells, Governor of Tasmania.
Friends for the Future is a bequest community created by the Foundation to recognise and connect people who have chosen to leave a gift to the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation in their Will. It is a way for us to thank these generous supporters and share the difference their gifts can help make for generations to come.
A gift beyond your lifetime
The Royal Hobart Hospital is part of all our lives. From the first moments of life through to some of our most difficult days, it is there for Tasmanians when they need care.
The Foundation raises funds to support the hospital and the wider healthcare community, funding medical research, vital equipment, education, innovation and patient care initiatives.
Every dollar raised stays here in Tasmania.
At the gathering, Her Excellency reflected on the impact of the Foundation’s work.
“Just this year, the Foundation has already invested more than a million dollars in healthcare and medical research in our state. This has included medical research projects focused on cancer, multiple sclerosis, neurological disorders, heart disease and other major health challenges.”
It is this kind of work that a gift in your Will can help continue - supporting the research, resources and ideas that could shape healthcare for Tasmanians in the years ahead.
Planning for what matters
Having a valid Will is one of the simplest ways to make your wishes clear and give greater certainty to the people you love.
It can also be a chance to think about the things you care about and the kind of future you want to help create.
The Foundation’s vision is a Tasmania where everyone has a valid Will. For those who choose to include the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation in their Will, that planning can also become a lasting contribution to the health and wellbeing of future generations.
A gift does not need to be large to be meaningful. What matters is choosing to leave something behind for a cause that matters to you.
Shaping the future, together
The Friends for the Future community is a powerful reminder that the future of Tasmanian healthcare is something we can all play a part in shaping.
A gift made today may not be felt for years to come. But one day, it could help fund a researcher pursuing a new discovery, give a clinician access to vital technology, support better care for a child, or help a Tasmanian family receive the care they need close to home.
To everyone who has chosen to leave a gift in their Will to the Foundation, thank you.
Your generosity is a gift to the future - and to generations of Tasmanians who will rely on our healthcare system in the years to come.
Learn more about leaving a gift in your Will below.
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Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation
The start of 2026 has already been an incredible period for the Royal Hobart Hospital Foundation, with more than $1 million invested into vital healthcare initiatives and research at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH).
Thanks to the generosity of our community, this funding is already making a meaningful difference - supporting life-saving research, delivering essential equipment, and improving care for patients across Tasmania.
Advancing Life-Changing Research
A major focus of this investment has been supporting local medical research, with over $762,000 committed so far this year.
These projects are tackling some of the most serious and complex health challenges affecting Tasmanians, including brain cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, RSV, Alzheimer’s disease, and prostate and lung cancers. Funding is also supporting innovative new approaches to challenges such as respiratory monitoring for pre-term babies.
Each of these research initiatives brings hope - helping to deepen our understanding of disease, improve treatments, and move us closer to better outcomes for patients and families.
Delivering Essential Equipment
In addition to research, more than $258,000 has been invested in new medical equipment that is already improving day-to-day patient care.
Recent purchases include an X-ray chair for scoliosis patients, two Airvo 3 breathing machines for children in the Emergency Department, and an ultrasound machine for older persons’ acute care. A cardiac stress treadmill and an intestinal ultrasound machine are also enhancing diagnosis and treatment, while a high-frequency oscillatory ventilator is supporting critically ill children.
These tools are empowering clinicians to deliver faster, safer, and more effective care when it matters most.
Looking Ahead
This is just the beginning. In the second half of 2026, the Foundation will continue to invest in the incredible work of RHH researchers, clinicians, and volunteers.
Together, these efforts reinforce one simple truth - there are more than a million reasons to celebrate the impact of the Royal Hobart Hospital and its Foundation.
Thank You for Making This Possible
Every donation to the Foundation plays a crucial part in improving healthcare for Tasmanians.
With your continued support, we can fund the next breakthrough, provide life-saving equipment, and make an even greater difference in the lives of our community.
Together, we are changing lives.
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Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation
A new Tasmanian program is helping people who are newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease understand their condition, build confidence and access support earlier.
Called Next Moves, the education and support program is being led by Occupational Therapist and Allied Health Director Christy Dorward, with support from the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation.
For Christy, the focus is simple: helping people feel more informed and supported at a time when a new diagnosis can bring a lot of questions.
“Where do I go from here?” can be one of the biggest questions facing someone newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
Next Moves has been designed to help answer it.
Care designed with the people who use it
Next Moves is a collaboration between the Tasmanian Health Service, the University of Tasmania and Parkinson’s Tasmania.
Importantly, the program hasn’t simply been designed for people living with Parkinson’s. It has been developed with them.
People living with Parkinson’s, their care partners and clinicians have all contributed to shaping the program, helping ensure it reflects the experiences and needs of the people it is intended to support.
The program aims to improve participants’ understanding of Parkinson’s, build knowledge around self-management and help people access appropriate intervention and support earlier.
Why early support matters
Parkinson’s is a complex condition, and everyone’s experience can be different. Having access to the right information and support early can help people better understand what they are experiencing and feel more confident managing their health.
For clinicians, programs like Next Moves also provide an opportunity to rethink how care is delivered - moving beyond treating individual symptoms to supporting the whole person as they navigate life with Parkinson’s.
That could mean helping someone understand their diagnosis, connecting them with the right services or providing practical strategies they can use in their everyday life.
Local ideas, local impact
For Christy, the project is an opportunity to bring together clinical expertise, research and the lived experience of people with Parkinson’s to improve care here in Tasmania.
And that’s what makes projects like Next Moves so important.
Research doesn’t always happen in a laboratory. Sometimes it starts with a clinician asking how care could work better for the people sitting in front of them.
With the support of the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation, Christy and her collaborators are putting that question into action.
We look forward to sharing more about Next Moves and the impact it has for Tasmanians living with Parkinson’s as the program progresses.
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Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation
For children who break an arm, a trip to the Emergency Department can be followed by weeks in a plaster cast, multiple appointments and time away from school and sport.
Now, clinicians at the Royal Hobart Hospital are investigating whether there could be a simpler way.
Supported by generous funding from Hospitals United for Sick Kids, the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation is funding a new pilot study looking at whether some simple forearm fractures in children can be safely treated with a removable wrist splint instead of a traditional plaster cast.
Forearm fractures are the most common broken bone in children, with more than 450 children presenting to the Royal Hobart Hospital’s Emergency Department with these injuries each year.
For many families, treatment can mean having a plaster cast fitted and returning to hospital or clinic for follow-up care. While casts are an important part of treatment for many fractures, they can also come with practical challenges for children and their families.
This study is exploring whether some straightforward fractures could be managed with a removable wrist splint, giving children a treatment option that is easier to manage at home.
A simpler recovery
A removable splint could make everyday life a little easier for children recovering from a broken arm. It may allow for easier bathing, fewer complications and a quicker return to normal activities once the injury has healed.
For families, it could also mean fewer hospital visits and less time navigating appointments.
And there could be benefits for the hospital, too.
With hundreds of children presenting with forearm fractures each year, finding safe and effective ways to manage some injuries outside traditional plaster treatment could help reduce pressure on the Royal’s busy Emergency Department and outpatient clinics.
The pilot study will help clinicians understand whether this approach is safe and effective for children with suitable simple fractures.
Research that starts at the bedside
This is the kind of practical research that can have a direct impact on the way healthcare is delivered.
The study is being led by clinicians working at the Royal Hobart Hospital, with the research focused on a very real challenge they see in their everyday practice.
If successful, the findings could help shape future treatment for children with simple forearm fractures - making recovery easier for young patients, their families and the hospital teams caring for them.
It’s another example of what can happen when local research is backed by a community that believes in better healthcare for Tasmania.
Your support helps clinicians at the Royal test new ideas, find better ways of delivering care and improve health outcomes for Tasmanians.
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Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation
