East End Cancer Relief Charity supports the Queen’s Centre, Castle Hill Hospital

EECR have provided eight ambulatory syringe drivers to be used by palliative care nursing staff, who set the equipment for the patient to deliver a continuous infusion of up to four medications at a time over a 24 hour period. The syringe drivers enable patients to be discharged early from hospital and ensure they do not have a break in their medications when returning home. 

Due to the small and portable nature of the drivers, they make a life-changing difference to cancer patients. Giving them the freedom and independence to participate in everyday family life, making precious memories with loved ones, whilst taking care of their physical symptoms. Recently, a syringe driver was used to enable a lady in hospital to attend her sister’s wedding comfortably and pain-free, to a Teenage and Young Adult Cancer patient, who attended a festival. 

The East End Cancer Relief’s trustees, Charlotte James, Lisa Pryor, Michelle Olive and Andrea Robinson, brought members of their local community together by organising an array of events and activities including, Welwick Wheelers bike ride, craft fairs, raffles and a Country and Western night to raise the funds.

Trustee, Andrea Robinson said, “We are immensely proud to be able to provide support in this way and it was fantastic to hear first-hand from the nursing staff the difference the syringe drivers make to patients’ lives. Including things that some of us do every day, from popping into the garden, to making spending time with family a reality away from a hospital environment. I would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to everyone who has helped at our events and have donated either money or goods to contribute to the funds raised. We worked alongside the Hospital’s WISHH Charity to identify how our funds could be used for the benefit of cancer patients. 

The syringe drivers will make a difference to thousands of patients in the years to come and will also help reduce the pressure on community nurses, who are reassured to know patients will be comfortable following discharge from hospital for 24 hours, before swapping over to community machines.

The East End Cancer Relief Team are now planning further activities and will be working alongside the Hospital’s WISHH Charity to identify further areas they can support.