Hand in Hand Ireland
The grant of €10,000 (provided by The Hospital Saturday Fund) made a huge difference to Hand in Hand. Last year, we continued to provide practical and emotional support services to families throughout the Republic of Ireland who had a child in treatment for cancer. This included: help with childcare, regular domestic cleaning, laundry services and family meals, regular daily tasks that give families precious time to spend with their children rather than chasing their tails, support that alleviates some of the stress and anxiety that they all experience.
Our increased financial stability also allowed us to expand the emotional support services and for the first time we were able to run a summer kids club programme; this took place over 8 weeks during the school summer holidays.
The summer club gave children with cancer and their siblings a chance to get together and have some fun. It also allowed parents to get together and share their worries or event hints and tips on how to survive the stress. The money from The Hospital Saturday Fund has had a huge impact.
National Osteoporosis Society
The Hospital Saturday Fund kindly donated £2,000 to the Fracture Liaison Service Project. Fracture Liaison Services systematically identify people at risk of osteoporosis and start them on a pathway to help stop breaking more bones. If diagnosed with osteoporosis, treatments and lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the chances of further broken bones and the pain and sometimes debilitating effects of the condition.
Since the grant, we have helped set up two new Fracture Liaison Services in Exeter and Stockport. These services serve a total of 750,000 people and we estimate will save the NHS £6million over the next five years.
We’ve also undertaken 10 reviews of already established Fracture Liaison Services in order to share good practice and help improve them.
November saw the launch of a significant piece of work to improve the way spinal fractures are identified and how information about a patient is shared between health professionals. Spinal fractures are the most common type of fracture caused by osteoporosis but are largely undiagnosed and untreated. Their effects can be devastating for people. The more spinal fractures someone endures, the more severe the effects. These include serious spinal deformity, back pain, height loss, immobility, breathlessness, a protruding abdomen, indigestion and stress incontinence.
This work will help Fracture Liaison Services identify spinal fractures, so that the underlying osteoporosis can be treated. Ultimately this will help prevent further fractures and their effects.
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