The ALBORADA Trust has provided Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust with exceptional support during 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With grants of over ÂŁ300,000 made in this year alone, the trust moved swiftly to support the staff at Addenbrookeâs Hospital first in paying for new wellbeing rooms, secondly in helping with the creation of a hardship fund to ease financial pressures and third in the provision of staff vouchers. The trust also funded vital lung injury research, allowing specialists at Addenbrookeâs to understand how COVID-19 causes damage to the lung.
The wellbeing rooms have provided a safe haven and a quiet place for staff to get away from the intense pressure and strain experienced in the first wave of COVID-19. The hardship fund and vouchers were a huge boost to staff morale and meant that those experiencing financial difficulties had one less thing to worry about.
One Addenbrookeâs staff member said: âIt is amazing how much more spacious and usable the room looks. It feels like something we would gladly offer to patients but never to staff â itâs good to feel like we matter so muchâ
Since 2015, The ALBORADA Trust have awarded over ÂŁ800,000 to Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust, allowing us to respond quickly to the hospitalâs needs.
That includes their support of the hospitalâs 3D Surgical Planning Service, a new state-of-the-art facility that will allow our Maxillofacial team to produce 3D models using scans, that can be used during facial reconstruction surgery for those with head and neck cancer.
Staff are delighted with the additional support that the ALBORADA Trust has provided during the most difficult of times. After being nominated to receive staff vouchers by a colleague, one member of Addenbrookeâs staff said:
âI was very touched to receive my âYou Made A Difference Awardâ nomination yesterday. I feel very proud to have been able to make a difference to patients and relatives during this pandemic and having nursed at Addenbrookeâs for 35 years, this is the icing on the cake!Thank you very much for the award and the recognition of our work through this time â it has been very gratefully received.â
Generous donations from hospital supporters have helped Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust (ACT) raise ÂŁ216,000 for an emergency childrenâs ambulance service, which will save young lives in the East of England.
Addenbrookeâs hospital is home to the East of Englandâs Paediatric Intensive Care Unit providing state-of-the-art care to critically ill children. But getting children to Addenbrookeâs from across the region currently relies on a childrenâs 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 Childrenâs Hospital, said: âThe East of England is the only region that doesnât have a childrenâs retrieval team of its own. While we plan for the forthcoming childrenâs 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.â
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 yearâs event, which saw 353 teams of six run around the iconic Cambridge colleges, raised over ÂŁ92,000. The race was a great success with participants including three teams from Addenbrookeâs Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), as well as Dame Mary Archerâs team âThe Great Damesâ, raising more than ÂŁ14,000. The Steel Charitable Trust, a Luton based funder with a focus on health, has also pledged ÂŁ10,000 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, ACTâs CEO, said: âWe 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 Addenbrookeâs, and for that, we and the countless patients that benefit are eternally grateful.â
Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust (ACT) has launched a new online shop full of ideal presents just in time for Christmas, with all profits making Addenbrookeâs hospital even better for patients.
The charity had already successfully launched a range of organic childrenâs 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 childrenâs T-shirts, the online shop now also sells other perfect gift items such as hoodies, adult t-shirts, running tops, and baby wear â all in a variety of sizes and colours â 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, ACTâs Director of Fundraising, said: âWe 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. Itâs all thanks to support like this that we can invest an additional ÂŁ500,000 every month, saving lives, transforming our hospital and supporting pioneering research.â
Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust (ACT) has launched a new advertising campaign, âIâm here for Addenbrookeâsâ, featuring local fundraising heroes, reminding the community that they can directly support Addenbrookeâs and the Rosie by donating or fundraising for the charity.
The campaign â developed with creative agency, Hope â 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 ÂŁ1million 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, ACTâs Head of Marketing and Communications, said: âThanks 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 Addenbrookeâs directly. We hope that this new campaign featuring some of our inspirational fundraisers will motivate people to donate or fundraise themselves.â
Claire Robinson features in our campaign posters
Fundraiser, Claire Robinson, who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro twice to raise funds for Addenbrookeâs and who features in the campaign, said: âAddenbrookeâs 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 Addenbrookeâs.â
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 Clubâs Annual Road Run. He said: âCaptain Tom walking for the NHS prompted me to do a road run and I wanted to keep the funds local, so Addenbrookeâs 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 â Itâs easier than you think!â
If you would like copies of ACTâs posters to help spread awareness of fundraising or donating to Addenbrookeâs, please email communications@addenbrookescharity.org.uk
Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust, the NHS charity for Addenbrookeâs and the Rosie, has recently been able to fund ÂŁ1 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 pandemicâs initial grip, there is still so much about the disease we donât know, with many patients experiencing long-term effects from the disease. Fortunately, Addenbrookeâs 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.
Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust works closely with the hospitalâs 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 Addenbrookeâs 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 ÂŁ300,000 a year to support junior clinicians getting into research via fellowship programmes.
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 Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust to carry out research on a cell-based therapy for COVID-19, said, âWith 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 Addenbrookeâs 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.â
Dr John Clark, Paediatric intensive care clinical fellow at Addenbrookeâs said, âWith the support of Addenbrookeâs 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 Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust, which drives innovation in practice for our patients.â
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, âThere is so much that is still unknown about the long-term consequences of this devastating new virus, but with Addenbrookeâs 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.â
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. Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust was able to fund the research and development for two web-based testing apps â Digihear and DigiVis â 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 Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust
Dr Michael Weekesâ 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 Ouwehandâs 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 Addenbrookeâs 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, Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust funded ÂŁ1.1m towards the Personalised Breast Cancer Programme feasibility project, sequencing the genomes of volunteer patients from the Cambridge Breast Unit at Addenbrookeâs, 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 ÂŁ24,600 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 Kotterâs 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 âfireâ abnormally, and this has been associated with currently incurable conditions such as Parkinsonâs 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, âEarly-stage funding, such as the grant provided to us by Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust, is key to allowing junior researchers to take crucial steps in testing new hypotheses, which is necessary to devise transformative treatment strategiesâ.
Research projects like these can only happen with donations from the public. Donations help the Addenbrookeâs 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 Addenbrookeâs please visit bit.ly/MilesParkes
Shelly Thake, CEO of Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust said, âResearch is the cornerstone to improving patient care and treatment. The combination of the complexity of cases and world class doctors at Addenbrookeâs 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 Addenbrookeâs.â
To help fund more research and make Addenbrookeâs 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 âdecompressâ on breaks or after facing a particularly upsetting situation. Thanks to generous funding of ÂŁ200,000 received from The ALBORADA Trust, Addenbrookeâs charity â Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust (ACT) â has been able to create much-needed well-being rooms â 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: âIn April, we asked Addenbrookeâs 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 Addenbrookeâs.â
Well-being room after the transformation
Shelly Thake, CEO of ACT who oversaw the work, said: âWe canât 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.â
Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust (ACT) is asking the public to help raise the final ÂŁ10,000 of its ÂŁ216,000 appeal for an emergency childrenâs ambulance service which will save young lives in the East of England.
Addenbrookeâs hospital is home to the East of Englandâs Paediatric Intensive Care Unit providing state-of-the-art care to critically ill children. But getting children to Addenbrookeâs from across the region currently relies on a childrenâs ambulance service from London â 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 Childrenâs Hospital, said: âThe East of England is the only region that hasnât got a childrenâs 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.â
Never have we appreciated our hospitals and NHS staff as much as weâŻdoâŻtoday.âŻThey have helped us through the worst of the pandemic, but as the situationâŻeases, the NHS will be under more pressureâŻthan ever to catch up on the scheduled procedures it usually provides.
The hospitals and staff still needâŻyourâŻsupport to help them beyond the crisis, so to celebrate and mark the 72nd Anniversary of the founding of our NHSâŻonâŻSunday 5th July,âŻAddenbrookeâs Charitable TrustâŻ(ACT)âŻis asking peopleâŻtoâŻhelp raise money by getting physical andâŻjoiningâŻTeam Addenbrookeâs.
To launch Team Addenbrookeâs, the charity isâŻasking people to takeâŻpart inâŻitsâŻVirtual Challenge 2020. EntrantsâŻcanâŻrun, walk or cycleâŻ7.2 kmâŻor miles in one go, orâŻtake on the challenge ofâŻ72km or miles over the course of a month.âŻYou can take part at any time andâŻaâŻminimum of ÂŁ100 in sponsorshipâŻfor Addenbrookeâs and the Rosie hospitalsâŻis encouraged.âŻAlongsideâŻsupporting our hospitals,âŻyou will also receive aâŻâTeam AddenbrookeâsââŻmedal.âŻThe only requirement is thatâŻall participantsâŻmust follow Government guidelines on exerciseâŻand socialâŻdistancing.
There are other ways to join Team Addenbrookeâs. 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 Addenbrookeâs for the London Marathon 2021. Please keep an eye on our website for details.
Emily Willdigg, ACTâs Community Relationships Lead, said: âOur 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. Weâve seen everything fromâŻa fancy-dress postieâŻtoâŻDisney birthday parties on zoomâŻtoâŻvirtual relay races. We really hope they will get behind us once again by joining Team Addenbrookeâs and taking on a Virtual Challenge!â
Whatever your challenge idea, join Team Addenbrookeâs today!
Standing in front of a background which says, âBig Loveâ, Jamie recalls having to use Addenbrookeâs over the years including microsurgery to a nerve in his hand. Jamie says,
âWeâve 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!â
âMe and my family are so grateful just to have you there ⊠we know that youâve 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.â
Jamie also thanks the hospitalâs charity, Addenbrookeâs Charitable Trust, for the hard work they are putting into raising money for the hospital saying, ââŠGood luck with everything. Good luck with all the fundraising and keep doing what youâre doing.â
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 patientsâ family members and booking accommodation. She explains why public support is so important right now:
âThe support the public shows us at Addenbrookeâs 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 âtuck trolleyâ providing lots of treats and snacks. Itâs 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 canât have visitors and family, so weâre really trying to keep their spirits high.â
Kerry Alexander, Senior Physiotherapist at Addenbrookeâs 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:
âThe 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.â
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: âI 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.â
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, ACTâs CEO, said: âACT 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.â
