July 2019 - Leicester Hospitals Charity

New Trolley To Revolutionise Prostate Biopsies At Leicester's Hospitals

Treatment for prostate cancer patients in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire is set to be revolutionised thanks to a new medical theatre trolley funded by two local cancer charities.

Up to 1,000 prostate cancer patients a year receiving treatment at the Leicester General Hospital will benefit from the innovative new trolley purchased jointly by charities PROSTaid and Brown Dog.

The new trolley will prevent prostate cancer patients from requiring a general anaesthetic when undergoing transperineal (between the legs) biopsies, and eliminate the typical five to six week waiting time for theatres to become available, making procedures quicker and more comfortable.

Costing just under £12,000, the trolley will also help to dramatically reduce the risks of patients developing sepsis as they will allow the surgeon access to the patient’s prostrate without having to go through the rectum.

The new trolley was publicly unveiled at the Urology Assessment Centre at the Leicester General Hospital, with Consultant Urological Surgeon Masood Khan on hand to demonstrate the new equipment.

“This new theatre trolley will enable us to perform transperineal prostate biopsies under local anaesthetic in the out-patient setting,” explains Mr Khan.

“This will not only be safer for our patients but will also increase our theatre capacity to perform procedures that can only be undertaken using a general anaesthetic.”

Director of PROSTaid, Rob Banner, says the new trolley will be of great benefit to prostate cancer patients.

“This will make an immense difference to prostate cancer patients needing biopsies,” says Rob.

“It will help make them more accurate, much faster and remove the six percent risk of sepsis, so dramatically improving their treatment journey.”

Founder of Brown Dog, Mark Storer, says his organisation are proud to have jointly funded the trolley.

“We are delighted to provide 50% of the funding for this equipment and new procedure which will really make a difference to men fighting prostate cancer,” says Mark.

“This funding came from people who took part in our 50 mile, 24 hour Moonfleet Challenge in June this year in Cornwall.”

Registrations are officially open for this year’s Walk for Wards!

Sign up now and join us for a walk around the beautiful Victoria Park on Saturday 14 September and help raise money for the ward or department of Leicester’s Hospitals that means the most to you.

Whether you’re a grateful patient wanting to give something back, or one of our amazing clinical staff with something in mind to benefit everyone on your ward, you can take part in this fun, family-friendly 5K to help raise funds!

Sign up now on our Wark for Wards page for just £5 (under-5s walk free) and get your friends, family and colleagues to register too!

Freemasons' £42,936 Echo Gift For Glenfield

Heart patients at Glenfield Hospital are benefitting from a brand new, portable ultrasound machine thanks to an incredibly generous donation from the Mark Master Masons.

Leicestershire & Rutland Freemasons presented Leicester Hospitals Charity with a new Portable Echo Machine, purchased with a £42,936 donation from the Mark Benevolent Fund, the official charity of the Mark Master Masons.

The new machine will perform echocardiograms, ultrasound scans of the heart to provide consultants with real-time images of heart walls and valves. It can also be used to help scan other organs using a variety of add-on probes.

Consultant Anaesthetist Michael Schupp gratefully received the new echo machine from Tony Morris, Deputy President of the Mark Master Masons Benevolent Fund.

Mr Schupp expressed his thanks to the Masons on behalf of all the staff at Glenfield Hospital for this generous gift.

“As we use the only other machine at our disposal 20 to 30 times a day,” says Mr Schupp, “this new equipment will lead to better patient care and diagnosis.

“The new equipment is of a small footprint design, which enables the hospital to manoeuvre it to the patients, rather than having to move the patients to the theatre which takes time and resources. It is also much easier to use and to train others to use than the only other device in operation, which is now nine years old.”

Tony Morris says that when the Masons first heard of the appeal for new equipment, the trustees were only too willing to help out.

“The Mark Master Masons Benevolent Fund raises money from its 45,000 members around the country specifically to help those in need, such as providing new Air Ambulances, Blood Bikes, Mobile Treatment Centres, and of course vital equipment to Hospitals and Hospices, such as the one here today,” says Tony.

Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire & Rutland Freemasons , Peter Kinder, was also instrumental in the decision to help purchase the machine.

“When I spoke with Debbie Adlerstein of the Leicester Hospitals Charity, I knew that we would be able to help with more than just a donation to the new equipment, but to fund a complete new device.”

Birstall BAGs' Couch Donation Brings Comfort To Gynae Patients

Gynaecology patients at the Leicester Royal Infirmary are benefitting from more comfortable and dignified clinical examinations thanks to a generous donation from Birstall BAGs.

The local cancer charity donated almost £9,000 to Leicester Hospitals Charity to help purchase a brand-new examination couch for the LRI’s Gynaecology Department and replace the previous model that has seen over 12 years of use.

The new couch features improved foot rests that can be adjusted for maximum convenience and comfort for patients, before gently tipping patients into lying positions to allow examinations to be carried out.

Gynacological Consultant Neelam Potdar says the new equipment is already having a clear positive impact for patients.

“This brilliant new examination couch is already being used regularly in my outpatients’ clinic,” Neelam explains.

“It offers patients who occasionally struggled with the previous couch the dignity they deserve. It reassures patients that we have suitably high-quality equipment in our clinic and helps to provide greater comfort and dignity for them during what can be an otherwise uncomfortable situation.

“This will help to improve the experience and care provided to women undergoing diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other conditions immensely.

“Huge thanks to Birstall BAGs for this amazingly kind donation. All of our staff sincerely appreciate their help.”

Birstall BAGs’ Emma Shaw says the charity are delighted to be able to fund the new couch.

“We’d like to thank our supporters for their fundraising and for supporting us at our events – it’s their generosity that has made this donation possible.”

Birstall BAGs operates in and around Birstall and Leicestershire and seeks to bring people together to raise funds to support cancer services used by the local community.

The charity also takes every opportunity to raise the profile of cancer, particularly with regard to the signs and symptoms, recognising that early diagnosis of cancer really can save lives. Birstall BAGs works with other local charities to provide services that support members of the local community who are living with a diagnosis of cancer.

£7.5m Leicester Children's Hospital Appeal Launches In Style

Leicester Hospitals Charity launched our biggest ever charity appeal yesterday to help transform how children’s hospital services are provided for patients and their families across Leicestershire and the East Midlands.

The £7.5m Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal was officially unveiled to the public at Leicester City Football Club’s King Power Stadium to support Leicester’s Hospitals’ ambitious long-term plans to create a single-site, dedicated Children’s Hospital at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Leicester’s Hospitals’ Chief Executive John Adler was on hand to formally announce the launch of the appeal to over 80 invited guests from across Leicestershire and the East Midlands.

Attendees were among the first to see exciting plans for the new Leicester Children’s Hospital, including renders of new space-themed ward designs and charity-funded new equipment to help provide more comfort and convenience for patients and their families.

Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Director, Lisa Davies says she and her team are proud to launch the biggest ever appeal in the charity’s history.

“We’re thrilled to finally be able to share the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal with the people of the East Midlands,” says Lisa.

“This is a huge moment for our region as this launch marks the big first step to securing a dedicated single-site children’s hospital for Leicester and the East Midlands. Everyone across our shared community now has a fantastic opportunity to unite and help transform our children’s lives for generations to come by supporting the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

“We all strongly believe that our children are relying on us to provide them with the best possible hospital services and we need to do them proud.”

With a fundraising target of £7.5m, the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal will initially support the relocation of Leicester’s Hospitals’ world-renowned children’s heart services from Glenfield Hospital to the Kensington Building at the Leicester Royal Infirmary. This forms parts of a longer-term plan to combine all children’s services into the expanding Kensington Building and finally provide Leicestershire and the East Midlands with its very own dedicated, stand-alone children’s hospital.

Consultant Paediatrician, Chris Wighton, says the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal will have a major impact on the healthcare of the region’s children if successful.

“Bringing the children’s services together in one location will be so important to the future of how we provide care to children in the East Midlands,” says Chris.

“If people support this appeal and help it succeed, it means we will be able to diagnose and provide treatment faster, reduce lengths of stay and reduce stress for patients and their families.

“It will also be vital in helping us recruit and retain even more talented paediatric staff.”

With the appeal now officially launched, Leicester Hospitals Charity calls on people across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and the wider East Midlands to donate to and show their support for this important cause.

Anyone wanting to contribute towards making the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal a success can visit DoThemProud.com to donate, sign up as a supporter or learn more about the appeal, or can follow the appeal on Facebook at FB.me/DoThemProud and help spread the word on social media using #DoThemProud.

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