The donation is a lasting legacy that will help many patients for years to come.

The generous gift means Auckland City Hospital’s Tupu Ora Regional Eating Disorder Service, which supports more than 400 clients, has two new high-tech vital signs monitors that help determine if a patient needs to be admitted to hospital.

Clinical Team Leader Harriet Sims says the team only had older-model manual vital signs monitors before Shayne’s donation. “We’ve seen a significant increase in patients since COVID-19 and the new monitors have helped us see additional patients in a timely manner.”

“We’re so grateful to Fred for leaving this legacy, and to Shayne for making it possible to have these newer-model monitors, which are very accurate and reliable,” says Harriet.

Shayne was a neighbour to Fred and his late wife Pat for many years. Shayne wanted to support our mental health patients and honour the memory of Fred, and especially honour Pat who worked in mental health.

Fred and Pat met in England during World War II, and Pat worked as psychiatric nurse in Auckland from the 1950s until she passed away in 1991. Fred passed away in 2017, aged 98, and Shayne supported Fed through his later years.

Shayne also worked in mental health, including seven years at Auckland City Hospital’s Buchanan Rehabilitation Centre.

Shayne says, “It felt right to honour Pat and Fred with a gift to mental health patients – it’s a cause dear to all our hearts.”

You can make a donation in memory of a loved one here.

Please click here for more information about how you can leave a lasting legacy.