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Author: sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

Announcement regarding COVID-19

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust is continuing to work with the hospital to help protect patients and staff at this time and has implemented temporary measures to help reduce the risk of infection including postponing or cancelling non-essential meetings and visits to the hospital until further notice.

For this reason, we have reduced contact with hospital staff and are now working off site to raise as much money as possible to support frontline Addenbrooke’s staff.

For updates on COVID-19 from Addenbrooke’s, please visit the Cambridge University Hospitals website: https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/news/communcations/covid-19-update

ACT remains committed to our supporters in helping to make Addenbrooke’s even better for patients. If you need to get in touch with any of our staff, they will be available on their usual work email addresses or you can email hello@act4addenbrookes.org.uk and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Cambridge woman leaves money for £400,000 ward refurbishment at Addenbrooke’s in her will

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

Patients using a renal ward at Addenbrooke’s are to benefit from a more colourful and relaxed approach to hospital life thanks to a legacy from a Cambridge woman.

Ward C5 has undergone a £400,000 nature-inspired transformation paid for using money gifted to the Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) by Marcia Cunningham – whose best friend had worked on the ward.

Ann Cooper is a sister working in medical outpatients at Addenbrooke’s and was Marcia’s best friend.

She said: “I worked on the renal ward many years ago and she was always interested in what we did. I had no idea that she was leaving the money to the renal service! She lived a very simple quiet life and was the most kind, warm and thoughtful person who enjoyed people.”

Each of the ward’s 24 beds now has a decorative unit at the head, behind which essential services like medical gasses, nurse call, electrical sockets and lighting can be housed. Keeping them out of sight helps maintain a more relaxed atmosphere on the ward to help assist patients in their recovery.

Each unit also has the option of offering dialysis for the kidney patients – reducing the need to move them to another area for treatment.

Addenbrooke’s is believed to the first hospital in the UK to benefit from the head  units – which feature a range of floral and leaf-inspired designs. Each unit automatically illuminates if a patient leaves their bed during times of low light and will light up to guide staff to the appropriate bedside in the event of a patient call or cardiac alarm.

The bedheads have been provided as part of the £400,000 refurbishment project, which includes comfortable furniture, artwork, new nurses’ station and a waiting room.

Laura Wilton-Cox, senior sister on C5, said: “It looks amazing and will make a real difference to all the patients who will use the ward. We are very grateful to Marcia for the donation. I hope what we have done with her legacy to improve the wellbeing of patients on the ward would have made her proud and a nice touch is it also features her favourite flowers and trees.”

Shelly Thake, ACT’s CEO, said: “This is a wonderful example of how working in partnership with the hospital can make great things happen. We are hugely indebted to Marcia for her generosity, which has made such a difference for patients on ward C5, enabling them to be treated in altogether more inspiring and comfortable surroundings. Her kind legacy will be felt by many for years to come.”

Funding news

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

Grant applications
Applications for research, innovation and patient benefit (Professional Advisory Committee) are now open. Further information and application forms can be found here

  • The next deadline for Professional Advisory Committee applications is 9am on Monday 6th January 2020
  • The next deadline for Innovation applications is 9am on Monday 10th February 2020.
  • Applications for research can be submitted at any time.

Talk to us!
We know it isn’t always easy to know how to apply for funding and what to do. Sometimes it’s helpful just to talk to someone. On 17 December and 17 January we’re going to be offering drop-in Funding and Fundraising Clinics in the main hospital reception. Running between 11:00 and 14:00, these clinics offer an ideal opportunity to talk to us about specific things, be it funding-related or about fundraising. Just drop in. No appointment necessary!

Another date for the diary is our next Fund Advisors’ Forum on Wednesday 22 January, 13:00 to 14:30.  These sessions are a good opportunity for us to get together and talk about what’s going well, what’s not going so well and how we can improve. We will use the next meeting to discuss proposed improvements, including to our grants programme, how we manage funds and the way we evaluate and monitor projects. We’d love to get your input and for you to be involved in the discussion.

Please let us know if you can join us by sending an email to fundsandgrants@act4addenbrookes.org.uk.

Celebrity Hunted fugitive hides out at Addenbrooke’s

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk
Jean-Christophe Novelli and his 3 sons

Celebrity chef, Jean-Christophe Novelli, who is currently appearing as a fugitive on the run on Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted for Stand Up To Cancer, stopped off at Addenbrooke’s during one of the episodes, shining a light on the hospital where his son was treated for neuroblastoma two years ago.

Jean-Christophe as well as one of the programme’s hunters, former soldier, best-selling author and extreme adventurer – Jordan Wylie – both star in the episode and are lending their support to Addenbrooke’s latest campaign to fund the first dedicated Emergency Children’s Ambulance Service for the East of England.

Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust has already raised £108,000 through generous donations to kit out one ambulance, and is well on the way to fundraising for a second to keep even more desperately ill children alive during transfers and reduce the long waiting times for an ambulance from London.

Jean-Christophe said: “We are in awe of the NHS and so thankful for how it has helped our family in recent years. Now we want to help other families whose children need to get to hospital quickly in an ambulance that is kitted out with special equipment to keep them alive.”

Jordan Wylie said: “When I heard that Addenbrooke’s was raising funds for a dedicated Emergency Children’s Ambulance Service, I wanted to do all I could to help. Regular 999 ambulances don’t have the specialist equipment needed to keep critically ill children alive during transfers and so for those having to wait for an ambulance from London, the delay must be simply unbearable.”

To help ACT get the second children’s ambulance on the road, please visit act4addenbrookes.org.uk/ambulance.

You can tune in to see the Celebrity Hunted for Stand Up To Cancer episode featuring Addenbrooke’s on Sunday 3 November at 9pm on Channel 4.

First of two new emergency children’s ambulance services for the East of England funded thanks to donations

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

Addenbrooke’s charity fundraising success raises hopes of an anticipated second emergency children’s ambulance.

Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) is delighted to announce that it has already raised over £108,000 to kit out the first of two Emergency Children’s Ambulances to transfer critically ill children across the East of England.

While there is currently an ambulance service for adults and babies in the region, there is not one for children. A dedicated emergency children’s ambulance would have the specialist equipment needed to keep desperately ill children alive during transfers, reducing the long waiting times for an ambulance from London and also the distress and worry for anxious parents.

When the service is fully funded and both ambulances are operational it will help move over 1,700 children around the region annually.

Funds for the first ambulance service were successfully raised in part thanks to the recent Chariots of Fire event – a relay race through the iconic grounds of the Cambridge colleges – masterminded by Hewitson’s Charitable Trust and with ACT as the official chosen charity.

The event was so successful that ACT exceeded its target and now has its sights set on putting a second ambulance on the road to complete the service, ensuring that children swiftly get the care and expertise that their lives depend on.

Rob Heuschkel, CUH Clinical Director for Cambridge Children’s Hospital, said: “This is really brilliant news. Having one children’s ambulance on the road will make a huge difference, but having two will be a major step toward providing the very best care for all critically ill children who need moving across the East of England. While we plan for the forthcoming children’s hospital, it is great to see us improving services now that will benefit many children and families in the future.”

ACT’s Director of Fundraising, Gemma Downham, said: “We are so touched by the generosity of our patients and community who have worked so hard to raise money for the new ambulance. This service is vital to make sure we get the poorliest children in our region to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, quickly and safely, at such a frightening time.”

Please help Addenbrooke’s kit out a second emergency children’s ambulance and help provide the highest level of care for the region’s sickest children by fundraising or donating now at www.act4addenbrookes.org.uk/ambulance.

Chariots of Fire race achieves children’s ambulance halfway funding mark

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

The Chariots of Fire race, which took place on Sunday 22 September, saw over 2,100 runners congregate on Queen’s Green, Cambridge to run the 1.7 mile relay race.

ACT are delighted to have already raised over half of the money required to fund a new emergency children’s ambulance service, dedicated to providing over 1,700 of the region’s sickest children with the highest level of care.

Shelly Thake, CEO of Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, said: “I want to personally thank everyone who participated and attended the wonderful Chariots of Fire event on Sunday. It was an incredible day showing what can be achieved when we all come together. Thanks to everyone’s support, we are now much closer to providing a dedicated Emergency Children’s Ambulance Service to ensure that sick children get to Addenbrooke’s as quickly as possible. Currently, a child needing a specialist ambulance must wait for one to arrive from London. The team then have to prepare the child before transferring them to another hospital and this wait can cause undue delay and distress. Having an ambulance based at Addenbrooke’s will greatly reduce the wait and transfer time, giving a child the best chance of survival.”

The charity is very grateful to more than 1,000 supporters that have donated to the appeal and funds are still coming in, but a final fundraising effort is still needed to make an emergency children’s ambulance a reality.

If you would like to help make transfers for children to the hospital safer and quicker, please donate here. Thank you. You can read more about the Emergency Children’s Ambulance here.

Addenbrooke’s liver transplant appeal success gives precious hope to many

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) has reached its £250,000 liver transplant appeal target thanks to the generous support of incredible donors.

The charity wanted to invest in the latest technology to give patients at Addenbrooke’s the best care possible by fundraising for a new liver perfusion machine in 2018. Liver perfusion is a system mimicking the body to ensure a liver’s functionality before transplant. The equipment has now been fully funded, and allows surgeons to ‘test drive’ livers for suitability before transplanting them.

Since the installation of the liver perfusion machine – the first hospital in the UK which has one in routine use for transplants – the Transplant team at Addenbrooke’s have perfused a total of 57 livers, of which 43 were able to be used. This means that the lives of 43 more people have been saved, taking them off the waiting list and enabling them to spend many more years with their loved ones.

Paul Wren was placed on the liver transplant list in 2017. In January 2018, he received a call to say that a liver was ready for him. He travelled down to Addenbrooke’s only to discover that, unfortunately, the liver was not suitable. After this stressful false alarm, Paul was called again in August by the Transplant team who had another liver for him. This time, the liver perfusion machine was in operation. As a result, the suitability of the liver was tested and confirmed for use, and Paul finally received his transplant.

Professor Christopher Watson, Consultant Transplant Surgeon at Addenbrooke’s, said: “Having the machine allows Addenbrooke’s to use the greatest proportion of high risk livers (those where subsequent function would otherwise be uncertain) than any other transplant centre in the UK; it also contributes to our having the best 30-day survival rate and the highest transplant rate per waiting list patient, meaning that fewer patients will die waiting for a liver.”

As more transplants are being carried out –  as well as the forthcoming opt-out system for organ donation – ACT wants to ensure that the hospital is ready for this increased demand. The charity would now like to support improvements that will ensure that patients and the relatives visiting them in hospital are more comfortable, such as making our patient day rooms more homely as well as providing a brighter, more comfortable space for patients being assessed for a liver transplant.

If you would like to make the above improvements a reality for transplant patients, please donate online at www.act4addenbrookes.org.uk/donate and choose ‘Transplant’ when prompted.

Find more about our Transplant campaign here.

Newborns at Addenbrooke’s receive safer MRI scans thanks to generous donors

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk
Generous funding has enabled the hospital to buy a £316,000 special MRI incubator allowing premature babies and babies at high-risk of brain injury to be scanned sooner.

The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust and a generous legacy to Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) from Ann Mynott have enabled the hospital to buy a £316,000 special MRI incubator allowing premature babies and babies at high-risk of brain injury to be scanned sooner.

Brain injury affects preterm and full-term babies with some going on to develop life-long neurological disabilities such as cerebral palsy and epilepsy. At present, babies born prematurely cannot be scanned in a standard MRI scanner, which has an effect on the decisions made surrounding their care. An early MRI could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment, and better long-term outcomes for babies affected by brain injury.

Previously, full-term babies were transported in their incubator to the MRI scanner in the Rosie Hospital and then transferred onto the MRI trolley before moving into the MRI scanner. This is challenging and time-consuming, particularly for critically ill infants. Although every effort is made to enable the baby to sleep through the scan (and hence keep still), the handling would often wake them up and result in poor quality images.

With the new MRI incubator the baby can be settled on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and then put straight into the MRI scanner without any further transfer or handling.

Not only does it make it far safer and quicker to scan the baby, the MRI incubator allows a wider range of babies to be scanned, better quality images and a reduced risk of hypothermia; delivering an all-round safer and less disruptive experience for vulnerable babies.

Professor Topun Austin, Consultant Neonatologist at Addenbrooke’s said: “The MRI incubator generously funded by the Jules Thorn Charitable Trust and ACT is only one of four such pieces of equipment in use in the UK. Transferring a newborn from the neonatal intensive care unit for an MRI scan is a challenging procedure. The incubator allows babies to be stabilised in the NICU prior to moving to the scanner, allowing both very pre-term and critically ill babies to be scanned safely. This enables us to diagnose babies at risk of brain injury at an earlier stage and monitor their response to neuroprotective treatments. The purchase of this incubator means that we are able to provide the best care to the smallest and sickest babies. It also opens up a new avenue of research possibilities with the ability to scan these babies.”

The Sir Jules Thorn Trust previously provided two dedicated neurocritical care cots and specialist brain scanning and monitoring equipment for the Rosie Maternity Hospital in 2014.

David Richings, Director of the Sir Jules Thorn Trust, said: “The Trust is delighted again to have been able to support the enormously important work of the Rosie Hospital in providing exceptional treatment for babies who are in need of special care.” Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust is raising funds to ensure that every child experiences the best possible outcome at Addenbrooke’s.

Addenbrooke’s cancer appeal launches to transform treatment for patients

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust has launched its new cancer appeal to help provide the best patient experience and care for people with cancer at Addenbrooke’s.

Addenbrooke’s Hospital sees over 4,000 new patients a year who rely on its lifesaving cancer care. This amounts to 11 people at Addenbrooke’s facing a new cancer diagnosis every day. Such high demand for cancer services makes the charity’s work even more urgent. Funds raised through the appeal will ensure that people with cancer at Addenbrooke’s are treated in a comfortable and dignified environment, with the latest equipment and technology.

The hospital charity’s supporters have raised over £4million in the last five years for cancer services at Addenbrooke’s, including a state-of-the-art surgical robot, research into personalised breast cancer treatment and diagnosis, and a modern, spacious Haematology Day Unit for people with blood cancers.

This incredible generosity from donors equates to real benefits for people living with cancer and has meant that 500 robotic surgery procedures have been carried out in the last year, around 460 people with breast cancer a year now experience improved treatments and waiting times thanks to a pioneering x-ray machine and 200 more people living with blood cancer a month can be seen thanks to the doubling of capacity of the Haematology Day Unit.

Gemma Downham, the charity’s Director of Fundraising, said: “People with cancer at Addenbrooke’s already receive the very best care from our staff, but we want to go a step further. With the help of our supporters we will be able to go above and beyond for people with cancer, translating the latest research into everyday hospital practice, providing counselling at a critical time in patients’ lives and funding the latest technologies so they receive the very best care possible. With charitable donations, the hospital staff can do more than the NHS budget allows.

“Just £100 can pay for an exercise and rehabilitation session for ten people, helping to stop cancers coming back, £1,000 can provide seven people with vital counselling through their cancer journey and £250,000 will fund a new cancer scanner, transforming the diagnosis, treatment and recovery of people with head and neck cancers. Once again, we are counting on the generosity of Addenbrooke’s’ supporters to help us do more for cancer patients at the time they need it most.”

For more information about our cancer appeal please visit www.abigc.org or call 01223 217757.

Will YOU remember Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Your will?

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

Addenbrooke’s relies on the generosity of members of the public to help provide vital research, innovative equipment and specialist services. This generosity which transforms care for future generations, can come in the form of donations left in wills. However, many people don’t have a will because it is so easy to put off. This means loved ones may not know your wishes including your favourite charities. Thankfully, many grateful patients and their families do make a donation in their will to say thank you for care received

The kindest ‘thank you’
John Bigmore, 80, was diagnosed with prostate cancer six years ago. His illness spurred him into updating his will so that future patients can receive the same excellent level of care. He said: “I’m getting things ship-shape legally; sorting out my will. I’d already decided to leave a gift to the hospital, but I’m so grateful for how well the staff looked after me that I’ve decided to leave half of the amount specifically to clinic 4a.”

When Lucas Harvey-Bowman was six weeks old, he was diagnosed with a rare heart condition. “We were looked after extremely well. Lucas received outstanding care from the cardiology team, and here we are thriving today,” says his mum Jess. “To show our gratitude we are leaving a gift in our will to help support their valuable work. We cannot thank Addenbrooke’s enough.”

Kind-hearted family members like to show their gratitude for the care of their relatives by leaving donations in their wills as a tribute to their loved one. Dennis Wyatt did just this, helping to fund a new courtyard garden in the stroke unit to say thank you for the treatment his wife received. The garden gives patients and their families a much needed chance to spend time in a calm, relaxing place away from the busy ward environment. Dennis’ friend Pat said, “Dennis wanted to give something back. He would have been very impressed with what his gift helped to achieve.”

A donation in a will could even help unlock the secrets of many life-changing diseases. Frederick Pratt left a donation in his will, which funded research into Parkinson’s disease. Researcher Dr Caroline Williams-Gray said: ”This project investigates the role of the immune system in Parkinson’s disease. It is hoped this will help to guide development of new immune-based treatments to delay the onset of dementia, one of the most devastating aspects of this disease.”

Do something wonderful
There is no doubt that the impact of donations left in wills to Addenbrooke’s is huge, helping doctors, nurses and researchers realise ground-breaking achievements and transforming patients’ lives. Yet, while 35% of people say they would leave a gift to a charity in their will, only 7% actually do so.

Dennis’ gift provided an oasis of calm for future stroke patients while Frederick’s donation ensured the continuation of research into a terrible disease. What legacy would you want to leave?

Alice Macek, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust’s Gifts in Wills Manager said: “We are so grateful to people who support us by leaving a donation in their will. These gifts will leave a long lasting legacy across the hospital for patients in the future, whether benefiting specialist services, state-of-the-art equipment or research breakthroughs. With this generosity we can achieve so much”

To ask a question, request information about inheritance tax, or tell us your thoughts about leaving a donation in your will please call 01223 217757 or email hello@act4addenbrookes.org.uk.

Ashtons Legal in Cambridge are launching a Wills Year initiative where a donation for each will completed will be given to local charities. Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust is one of the chosen charities. For more information please contact the Lifetime Planning Team on 0330 4040773.