Generous donations from hospital supporters have helped Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) raise £216,000 for an emergency children’s ambulance service, which will save young lives in the East of England.
Addenbrooke’s hospital is home to the East of England’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit providing state-of-the-art care to critically ill children. But getting children to Addenbrooke’s from across the region currently relies on a children’s ambulance service from London because regular ambulances are not kitted out with the specialist equipment required to keep critically ill children alive during transfers.
This can result in long delays, which for children and families is simply unbearable.
Crucially, the current service does not transport children back to their local hospital as soon as they are on the road to recovery. This means that children spend unnecessary time further away from home, friends and family.
Dr Rob Heuschkel, Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist and CUH Clinical Director for Cambridge Children’s Hospital, said: “The East of England is the only region that doesn’t have a children’s retrieval team of its own. While we plan for the forthcoming children’s hospital, being able to extend the service to all families who have children across the East of England will really transform the care that we can offer.”
Many kind-hearted donors helped ACT to reach its target, including sponsorship raised from over 2,100 runners at the Chariots of Fire relay race masterminded by Hewitsons Charitable Trust. Last year’s event, which saw 353 teams of six run around the iconic Cambridge colleges, raised over £92,000. The race was a great success with participants including three teams from Addenbrooke’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), as well as Dame Mary Archer’s team ‘The Great Dames’, raising more than £14,000. The Steel Charitable Trust, a Luton based funder with a focus on health, has also pledged £10,000 towards the appeal.
ACT has now raised enough money to fund two ambulances which will benefit over 1,700 children a year in the East of England, providing fast response times, and ensuring that children swiftly get the care and expertise that their lives depend on. The funding means that the hospital can start preparing for the new service which will go live on 7 April next year.
Shelly Thake, ACT’s CEO, said: “We owe so much to our incredible supporters who have again responded with enthusiasm to our appeal for help. This service is just one of the many ways in which the community has supported Addenbrooke’s, and for that, we and the countless patients that benefit are eternally grateful.”
Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) has launched a new online shop full of ideal presents just in time for Christmas, with all profits making Addenbrooke’s hospital even better for patients.
The charity had already successfully launched a range of organic children’s T-shirts that were mainly sold within the hospital but is keen to expand the range and allow people to buy merchandise and support the hospital no matter where they are.
As well as children’s T-shirts, the online shop now also sells other perfect gift items such as hoodies, adult t-shirts, running tops, and baby wear – all in a variety of sizes and colours – as well as travel mugs, water bottles and greetings cards. The charity will be adding more products in future. All profits go towards supporting patient care within the hospital.
Gemma Downham, ACT’s Director of Fundraising, said: “We wanted to give people another way of supporting their hospital. We trust that people will enjoy the purchases they make, safe in the knowledge that all profits will go towards making the hospital even better. It’s all thanks to support like this that we can invest an additional £500,000 every month, saving lives, transforming our hospital and supporting pioneering research.”
Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) has launched a new advertising campaign, “I’m here for Addenbrooke’s”, featuring local fundraising heroes, reminding the community that they can directly support Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie by donating or fundraising for the charity.
The campaign – developed with creative agency, Hope – can be seen on advertising sites around Cambridge city centre and beyond, as well as donated spaces in shop windows.
The charity raises money for innovative equipment, services and research above and beyond that which is funded by the NHS, helping make the hospital even better for patients. It recently funded over £1million of research into diagnosing and treating COVID-19, and psychological support for staff and patients including a counselling service for A&E staff helping them to cope with the pandemic and its long-term effects.
With the increased need for ongoing support since the coronavirus outbreak, the charity is calling on supporters of the hospital to help it continue to raise money so that it can help plan for the future and react effectively as demands on the hospital change.
Jonathan McGee, ACT’s Head of Marketing and Communications, said: “Thanks to the awareness of giving to hospitals through NHS Charities Together (our membership organisation), people have been reminded that they can support the NHS, but we also want people to know they can support Addenbrooke’s directly. We hope that this new campaign featuring some of our inspirational fundraisers will motivate people to donate or fundraise themselves.”
Claire Robinson features in our campaign posters
Fundraiser, Claire Robinson, who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro twice to raise funds for Addenbrooke’s and who features in the campaign, said: “Addenbrooke’s saved my life. It has kept three generations of family together. My mother, who donated me her kidney, me, and my beautiful daughter who was born prematurely at 28 weeks and 6 days and spent time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Thank you. I will forever be grateful to Addenbrooke’s.”
Another fundraiser, Ray Parcell, organised over 110 vintage tractors carrying donation buckets to take to the road, travelling 33 miles through various villages as part of the Cambridge Vintage Tractor Club’s Annual Road Run. He said: “Captain Tom walking for the NHS prompted me to do a road run and I wanted to keep the funds local, so Addenbrooke’s was the obvious choice. I felt really honoured that I was asked to take part in the ad campaign and if I can fundraise, so can you – It’s easier than you think!”
If you would like copies of ACT’s posters to help spread awareness of fundraising or donating to Addenbrooke’s, please email communications@act4addenbrookes.org.uk
Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, the NHS charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie, has recently been able to fund £1 million of research into treatments and diagnostics for COVID-19 or services impacted by coronavirus, thanks to generous donations from the public.
As we emerge from the pandemic’s initial grip, there is still so much about the disease we don’t know, with many patients experiencing long-term effects from the disease. Fortunately, Addenbrooke’s is a university hospital which means that, as well as treating and helping people, doctors and nurses also look to research ways to improve patient healthcare.
Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust works closely with the hospital’s team of medical experts to identify and fund new and novel ideas, research projects and technical innovations that are vital for improving patient care at Addenbrooke’s and across the NHS. The charity funds much more in the hospital than can be achieved with NHS funding alone. Its funding helps build research capacity across the clinical workforce and delivers transformational projects of high value to patients and the NHS. The charity also provides around £300,000 a year to support junior clinicians getting into research via fellowship programmes.
Dr James Lee
The recent crisis has accelerated the need for research to keep COVID-19 under control and to understand how to care for patients. The more medical research that is carried out the more it will help our understanding of the disease and in time, save lives. Around the world, scientists and healthcare professionals are developing ways to vaccinate against, diagnose and treat the disease, and importantly, as we now know that the disease has many long-term effects, how to help people recover. Donations from the public allowed the charity to rapidly direct funds to this much needed research. Dr James Lee, Clinician Scientist and Principal Investigator who received funding from Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust to carry out research on a cell-based therapy for COVID-19, said, “With the rapid emergence of COVID-19, it was clear that researchers would need to move quickly to develop new ways of detecting and treating infected patients. This need, however, is at odds with the usual way of obtaining funding for research, which is often slow and ponderous. This is why rapid funding that was made available by Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust was so important, as it facilitated a fast response to the pandemic, and enabled us to begin working on a cell-based therapy immediately. For this reason, the funding we were awarded has been truly invaluable, as it has not only enabled us to conduct the research but do so in a time-frame that could benefit the most people.”
Dr John Clark, Paediatric intensive care clinical fellow at Addenbrooke’s said, “With the support of Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, our paediatrics team is working on our understanding of COVID-19 in children. Discovering what is different in the way children are affected compared to adults could unlock important information needed to treat this disease. We are also testing new rapid technology used to detect chest infections and antibiotic resistance markers in critically ill children. This will provide doctors with crucial information that will help decide the best possible infection fighting treatment in hours rather than the days it takes with standard tests. None of this work would be possible without the generous donations to the Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, which drives innovation in practice for our patients.”
Dr Miles Parkes
Dr Miles Parkes, Director of Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), has helped lead a team carrying out research on understanding the long-term effects of COVID. He said, “There is so much that is still unknown about the long-term consequences of this devastating new virus, but with Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust funding we have been able to fund a multifaceted approach to COVID-19 research that is hugely valuable in itself and also provides a major Cambridge contribution to the large-scale national research programme.”
Louise Allen (L), Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmologist (DigVis) & Tamsin Holland-Brown, Community Paediatrician (Digihear)
As well as research into COVID-19, the need to provide answers for other diseases and conditions in the future has never been of greater importance. Coronavirus has had an impact across the hospital and the normal ways of diagnosing people stopped overnight. Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust was able to fund the research and development for two web-based testing apps – Digihear and DigiVis – helping patients to self-test for hearing and sight during telephone consultations. It also funded a third app to assess dizziness, hearing and balance disorders. It is hoped that these will provide an alternative to having to visit the hospital once life returns to normal.
Some of the COVID-19 research funded by Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust
Dr Michael Weekes’ research that found up to 3% of hospital staff across the country could have been carrying SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 disease, without realising they were infected. The findings demonstrated that a rapid staff screening process needed to be implemented across the NHS and to introduce additional measures to better protect staff and patients within the hospital environment.
Infectious disease expert Professor Paul Lehner researched repurposing existing medicines to see if they can treat COVID-19. Any which prove to be effective can then be tested in a clinical trial of patients with the virus.
Professor Willem Ouwehand’s research looks to improve the triage process for admissions of COVID-19 patients to hospital. A small number of people with underlying health conditions do not show the usual symptoms of the virus. As these symptoms are so different, there is a risk of misdirecting patients to an ordinary ward when they are in fact COVID-19 positive. The research will determine whether information gained via blood tests can help clinicians classify patients with more certainty.
The development of a new rapid COVID-19 test that builds upon an existing Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust-funded research project designed to provide quicker and accurate infectious disease testing in critically ill patients. Led by Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine and Anaesthesia, Dr Vilas Navapurkar, the new test will make it possible to screen for infections in four hours instead of two days. So far, the charity has funded testing for 200 patients, and is on track to provide testing for more.
Research beyond COVID-19
While the majority of non-COVID research was paused during the peak of the coronavirus, with vital research resuming, the charity needs to continue to fund it to ensure that advances to benefit patients are made in all areas. The charity accepts funding applications from researchers throughout the year. In 2019/20, the charity received around 40 applications with 20 grants and four fellowships awarded. So far 2020/21 looks very different, with 38 applications to date, of which twenty have been awarded already. These awards help in a variety of ways and one way is funding valuable proof of concept research. For example, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust funded £1.1m towards the Personalised Breast Cancer Programme feasibility project, sequencing the genomes of volunteer patients from the Cambridge Breast Unit at Addenbrooke’s, to ensure treatment is personalised and the most effective. This was then rolled out as a major programme by Cancer Research UK, as well as changing the way genomic medicine is practiced on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
More recently the charity has funded Dr Emma Beddowes research to use real-time genetic profiling to help make treatment decisions for patients with advanced breast cancer. It is not currently known which treatment will be best for an individual patient. All of the treatments have side effects and being able to discontinue ineffective treatments very quickly will avoid the patient enduring these side effects unnecessarily. With a £24,600 grant from the charity the study will explore whether a simple blood test could be used to predict treatment response. If this is successful it could lead to ineffective treatments being stopped early and a more effective treatment started more quickly, keeping side effects to a minimum.
The charity also funded Dr Mark Kotter’s lab research into the harmful effects of inflammation on the ability of brain cells to send signals and communicate. Inflammation causes the cells of the brain to ‘fire’ abnormally, and this has been associated with currently incurable conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and certain psychiatric disorders. Viral and bacterial infections, as well as traumatic injury, can also create inflammatory environments. The research is investigating this abnormal signalling, as well as restoring normal communication between cells, and if successful, these results will form the basis of a therapeutic approach. Dr Nataly Martynyuk, the lead researcher on the project, comments that, “Early-stage funding, such as the grant provided to us by Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, is key to allowing junior researchers to take crucial steps in testing new hypotheses, which is necessary to devise transformative treatment strategies”.
Research projects like these can only happen with donations from the public. Donations help the Addenbrooke’s team develop the innovative ideas that will make the hospital even better and contribute to national research too. To view a recent webinar featuring Dr Miles Parkes talking about research at Addenbrooke’s please visit bit.ly/MilesParkes
Shelly Thake, CEO of Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust said, “Research is the cornerstone to improving patient care and treatment. The combination of the complexity of cases and world class doctors at Addenbrooke’s provides the best environment to drive leading research. Over 25 clinicians and professors volunteer their time to consult and advise the charity on our investment in research. This governance enables us to support research that impacts not just Cambridge but beyond, on a national and international scale. Supporting early research careers, developing the hypotheses for research projects and funding broader research roles and projects means that our donors make every difference to the course that healthcare takes today and in the future. This is an immensely important aspect of our support to Addenbrooke’s.”
To help fund more research and make Addenbrooke’s even better for patients please visit helpyourhospital.co.uk/donate.
This article appeared in the 9 September edition of the Cambridge Independent.
Staff working in COVID positive areas of the hospital often have nowhere to go to ‘decompress’ on breaks or after facing a particularly upsetting situation. Thanks to generous funding of £200,000 received from The ALBORADA Trust, Addenbrooke’s charity – Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) – has been able to create much-needed well-being rooms – peaceful spaces where staff can reflect, relax and de-stress.
Seminar room before the transformation
An underused seminar room has now been completely transformed into a welcoming, calming area for staff with comfy seating and dimmable lighting, and is the first of three such rooms that will be available for staff to use.
Not only does this space provide a quiet, accessible area for staff to take their breaks, it will also be used to hold trauma and tension release classes, allowing staff to unwind after the intense pressure they have faced over the last few months.
Jeremy Richardson, Director of the ALBORADA Trust, said: “In April, we asked Addenbrooke’s to approach doctors and nurses in ICU to ask them for their particularly urgent needs. It was as a result of that approach that the well-being rooms came about and my trustees were pleased to provide immediate funds for this, in addition to the other help which the Trust has given for the amazing NHS staff at Addenbrooke’s.”
Well-being room after the transformation
Shelly Thake, CEO of ACT who oversaw the work, said: “We can’t thank The ALBORADA Trust enough for their generosity in providing our hospital staff with such a peaceful retreat in which to take their breaks. Doubling up the space to use for stress-release classes will also ensure that staff can tackle any stress before it becomes a problem, providing more than just a quick fix.”
Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) is asking the public to help raise the final £10,000 of its £216,000 appeal for an emergency children’s ambulance service which will save young lives in the East of England.
Addenbrooke’s hospital is home to the East of England’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit providing state-of-the-art care to critically ill children. But getting children to Addenbrooke’s from across the region currently relies on a children’s ambulance service from London – regular ambulances are not kitted out with the specialist equipment required to keep critically ill children alive during transfers.
This often results in long delays, which for children and families is simply unbearable.
Crucially, the current service does not transport children back to their local hospital once they are on the road to recovery. This means that children spend unnecessary time further away from home, friends and family.
Thanks to generous donors, the charity has now raised nearly enough money to fund two ambulances which will benefit over 1,700 children a year in the East of England, providing faster response times, and ensuring that children swiftly get the care and expertise that their lives depend on.
Dr Rob Heuschkel, Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist and CUH Clinical Director for Cambridge Children’s Hospital, said: “The East of England is the only region that hasn’t got a children’s retrieval team of their own. Being able to extend the service to all families who have children across the East of England would really transform the care that we could offer.”
Never have we appreciated our hospitals and NHS staff as much as we do today. They have helped us through the worst of the pandemic, but as the situation eases, the NHS will be under more pressure than ever to catch up on the scheduled procedures it usually provides.
The hospitals and staff still need your support to help them beyond the crisis, so to celebrate and mark the 72nd Anniversary of the founding of our NHS on Sunday 5th July, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) is asking people to help raise money by getting physical and joining Team Addenbrooke’s.
To launch Team Addenbrooke’s, the charity is asking people to take part in its Virtual Challenge 2020. Entrants can run, walk or cycle 7.2 km or miles in one go, or take on the challenge of 72km or miles over the course of a month. You can take part at any time and a minimum of £100 in sponsorship for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie hospitals is encouraged. Alongside supporting our hospitals, you will also receive a ‘Team Addenbrooke’s’ medal. The only requirement is that all participants must follow Government guidelines on exercise and social distancing.
There are other ways to join Team Addenbrooke’s. How about holding a virtual sports day featuring old favourites such as the three-legged race, sack race and egg and spoon race? ACT will also soon be opening applications for people to join Team Addenbrooke’s for the London Marathon 2021. Please keep an eye on our website for details.
Emily Willdigg, ACT’s Community Relationships Lead, said: “Our amazing fundraisers have proved how much they love the hospitals by coming up with a multitude of ingenious ways to show their support in such difficult times. We’ve seen everything from a fancy-dress postie to Disney birthday parties on zoom to virtual relay races. We really hope they will get behind us once again by joining Team Addenbrooke’s and taking on a Virtual Challenge!”
Whatever your challenge idea, join Team Addenbrooke’s today!
Standing in front of a background which says, “Big Love”, Jamie recalls having to use Addenbrooke’s over the years including microsurgery to a nerve in his hand. Jamie says,
“We’ve always been grateful to you guys locally, but now more than ever with COVID-19, I mean, what can be said? The true heroes, the true superheroes!”
“Me and my family are so grateful just to have you there … we know that you’ve been looking after our community like your own family, so thank you for putting them first, thank you for risking your own lives … I just want to say thank you.”
Jamie also thanks the hospital’s charity, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, for the hard work they are putting into raising money for the hospital saying, “…Good luck with everything. Good luck with all the fundraising and keep doing what you’re doing.”
The impact that donations from the public to our emergency appeal have made has been incredible. Our supporters have enabled us to fund many things including research on staff infection, a brand new speedy COVID-19 test for ICU, iPads for families to communicate with sick relatives and a counselling service. It is making a huge difference to patients and staff, and particularly the countless staff working in the background without whom our hospital would struggle to provide vital care.
Sarah Rodwell, ward clerk for the Haematology Oncology Ward (C10)
One of these is Sarah Jayne Rodwell who is the ward clerk for the Haematology Oncology Ward (C10) and performs a range of admin tasks as well as collecting medication, chemotherapy and bloods, talking to patients’ family members and booking accommodation. She explains why public support is so important right now:
“The support the public shows us at Addenbrooke’s means a great deal! The donations have been amazing, I especially love to read the messages that come with the fruit donation boxes for staff. And on C10, for the patients who are unable to leave their side room, ACT funds a ‘tuck trolley’ providing lots of treats and snacks. It’s been invaluable during the Covid-19 pandemic. I know that this is a small joy for the patients at this really difficult time, as they can’t have visitors and family, so we’re really trying to keep their spirits high.”
Kerry Alexander, Senior Physiotherapist at Addenbrooke’s explains how donations have helped the specific rehabilitation of patients with Covid-19, such as the non-standard, specialist frames and wheelchairs funded by the charity:
“The equipment provided by ACT helps reduce the time patients spend in hospital. The frames help to get patients mobile and will help to rebuild the physical fitness of the muscles, heart and lungs, as well as avoiding complications such as pressure sores, and pneumonia. The wheelchairs are very supportive and will allow patients who are severely deconditioned following prolonged bed rest to get out of bed safely, which is imperative to their recovery. This will help to strengthen their muscles and ensure they are in the best position for breathing and keeping their chests clear.”
The Procurement & Supply Chain department also plays an essential role and is responsible for the sourcing and buying of goods across the hospital. The department helps ACT ensure that the items it funds are safe for use in the hospital and provide good value for money.
From receiving and storing donations of PPE from around the world to collaborating with local industry to manufacture face shields, this department contains an unsung hero or two.
Ian Hooper, Director of Procurement & Supply Chain, says: “I have been really impressed with the passion and commitment staff across the department have demonstrated, with a determination to ensure that that the front line is well supported. It has been a huge challenge given daily obstacles to overcome.”
Existing services, which staff are now starting to deliver once again, have been impacted by the crisis meaning that the pressure on the staff and hospital will continue.
ACT always has and will continue to support these services across the hospital, funding that which the NHS cannot, such as some exciting and innovative research projects to help beyond the current crisis including: remote diagnostic hearing and vision testing apps to ensure patients get the care they need when they cannot be seen in hospital, an app to help children understand what coming to hospital will feel like for them seeing staff in PPE and social distancing, and wellbeing rooms for staff to use to take a moment of calm.
Shelly Thake, ACT’s CEO, said: “ACT not only funds vital work connected to the COVID-19 pandemic, but continues to fund research, services, equipment and innovative technology throughout the hospital for the benefit of patients and staff. We simply could not achieve these things without incredible support from the public and there is still so much more that can be done to make the hospital even better.”
Thanks to VenueAV and Solitech Ltd we’ve lit up the Addenbrooke’s chimney to say thank you to all our supporters who’ve helped us raised over £1million to support our fantastic NHS staff!
The money is being used to help the well being of staff and patients through this difficult time, provide vital equipment to support the Intensive Care Unit, enable research into new treatments and diagnostics, and much more. Thanks to the money raised we will be able to fund even more vital items and support in the forthcoming weeks and months.
So far donations have helped provide:
iPads to allow patients to communicate more easily with staff and to enable family members to comfort their critically ill relatives in intensive care and other wards.
Psychological support for staff and patients helping them to cope with the crisis and its long-term effects; and helping a nurses charity provide seminars and leadership support for nurses who are managing staff or working through the crisis.
Snacks, refreshments and toiletries such as hand cream and shower gel for frontline staff.
Enhancements to the patient environment for those in hospital during the crisis for non COVID-19 reasons including toys and activity packs to entertain children in hospital who usually must share; activities for teenagers; and whiteboards and colouring materials for dementia patients.
Numerous diagnostic and therapeutic COVID-19 research programmes including, research which is helping screen staff and assess which are more at risk of COVID-19; brand new, speedy screening for ICU patients; rapid diagnosis of children presenting with chest infections to see if they have COVID-19; testing the effectiveness of existing medicines; and further research into high risk patient groups.
Your continued donations will help our hospital do so much more than is currently funded by the NHS and will help to make Addenbrooke’s even better for everyone. Please visit www.helpyourhospital.co.uk
