People who helped to fund new equipment for cancer patients have been thanked and were invited to meet staff at Burnley Hospital.

Last year the NHS hospital charity, ELHT&Me, launched an appeal to raise £20,000 to enhance cancer care at Burnley General Teaching Hospital’s Primrose Unit.

The appeal aimed to raise funds 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 before, during and a certain amount of time after the infusion.

The ELHT&Me appeal has been successful in purchasing two. A third was more advanced and enables two patients to use it the same type and was purchased after the campaign hit £30,000.

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

Martin Hodgson, Chief Executive at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “I am extremely proud of the impact that our charity brings, day in day out, with the help of our inspiring community.

"It’s incredible and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”

The charity would like to thank 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.