A £6,500 donation to a charity supporting Wexham Park Hospital is ‘already seeing really promising results’ after it was used to fund specialist oxygen boots for patients.
The four-figure donation came in part from Alan Marsh, a former patient at the Slough hospital who thanked medics there for ‘preventing life-changing surgery’ while he was being treated.
Oxygen boots are used to help speed up recovery for patients with diabetic foot ulcers, which can cause serious complications including amputations and readmittance to hospital.
NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust consultant diabetologist Dr Hema Heffernan said staff were ‘thrilled’ with the oxygen boots which were being used to ‘boost healing for our patients’.
The oxygen boots (pictured) in use on a patient
Diabetic patients are among those who have the longest hospital stays and the oxygen boots are one way medics hope to reduce the length of time spent in hospital.
Mr Marsh funded £1,500, while the remainder was funded by The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation – a charity founded by easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou in 2011.
The money was donated to Frimley Health Charity. The charity helps fundraise for healthcare services and research run by its namesake NHS trust.
A statement from Frimley Health Charity on the donation said: “Alan decided to support the initiative after experiencing the impact of diabetic foot complications himself.
“Having almost lost his toe twice, Alan credits the Diabetes and Podiatry team at Wexham Park Hospital with saving his toes and preventing life-changing surgery.”
Dr Heffernan said: “We have long been looking for a treatment that can boost healing for our patients, and we are thrilled that thanks to a donation from Mr Alan Marsh, one of our former patients, and the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, we have been able to start using this treatment.
“We are already seeing really promising results, and we hope that we can secure funding to keep this treatment going.”