Bolsover health centre colleagues raise money for vital equipment used in end-of-life care

Andrea Wallace, Janine Jones, Jac MacKenzie and Gren Broomfield, who all work at Welbeck Road Health Centre in Bolsover, had their hair shaved off in June last year as part of a fundraiser called ‘Being Bald for Bolsover’.

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They raised nearly £1,500 to buy a syringe driver.

Donations were also made to the appeal following the deaths of two people locally – meaning a further three syringe drivers could be purchased.

The four syringe drivers – each worth around £1,400 – have now been handed over to district nurses for use in the local community.

Andrea said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported us.

“We wanted to help improve palliative care in the local area.

“The syringe drivers are very important pieces of equipment and we’re delighted to have now handed them over to the district nurses.

“They were very grateful to receive them.”

Syringe drivers are commonly used for people living with a terminal illness.

The device is a small battery-powered pump which delivers medication at a constant rate through a small plastic tube under the skin.

They are used to manage symptoms such as pain, seizures, agitation, respiratory secretions and nausea and vomiting.

Andrea is a nurse manager, Janine is a dispensar, Jac is a receptionist and Gren works in maintenance.

Andrea said the head shave went ‘very well’ for everyone and that she had decided to keep her hair short since the fundraiser.

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