NHS charity ELHT&Me raises £30,000 to enhance cancer care at Burnley General Teaching Hospital’s Primrose Unit.

The appeal was to raise money to purchase a Paxman Scalp Cooling System. Scalp cooling works by narrowing the blood vessels beneath the skin of the scalp which reduces the amount of chemotherapy medicine that reaches the hair follicles. With less chemotherapy medicine in the follicles, the hair can be less likely to fall out.

The cold also reduces the hair follicles’ metabolic activity, which makes the cells divide more slowly and protects the follicles from the chemotherapy. During each chemotherapy session, a patient will wear the cap for 30 to 50 minutes.

ELHT & Me had previously called on the community to support advancements to the chemotherapy unit and were successful in bringing two to the unit. This third one, however, is different because it’s a dual system that enables two patients to use it at the same time.

Initially the appeal was set at £20,000 which would bring an additional cooling system to the unit but with the immense support they were able to reach £30,000 to fund the dual system.

ELHT&Me invited those who were instrumental in the appeal to visit the equipment with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust’s Chief Executive, Martin Hodgson, and chairman Shazad Sarwar,

Special thanks were paid to to Paige Barnes, Scott Morton, Katie Hall, Rising Sun Inn at Blacko, The Orrell Group Machinery Ltd, Ribble Valley Breast Friends, Rosemere, Blackburn and East Lancs Breast Care Support Group and The League of Voluntary Workers for Burnley Hospital.