A hands-on charity

As well as its role in promoting public awareness of transplantation and organ donation, supporting training and research opportunities for staff, the FHTLA is very much a hands-on charity and is concerned about the welfare and wellbeing of individual patients.

Heart and lung transplant patients and their families know too well what a great challenge the transplant recovery process can be. Patients are often an inpatient for many weeks, if not months, and are frequently a long way from home. Close family members may have to make considerable adjustments to their own lives in order to provide essential care and support for their loved ones who have undergone a transplant.

It can be a very expensive time for families: carers may no longer be being paid by their employer, welfare benefits for patient and carer may have been suspended and the extra expenses of living away from home can be an additional source of stress and anxiety.

“The additional support given to patients and families through the FHTLA is invaluable”

The FHLTA is able to support the work of staff members on the Transplant Unit to provide immediate practical and at times financial assistance, where there is greatest need. All transplant patients are advised and counselled by Transplant Unit staff at the time of assessment for transplant, about the need for careful planning and preparation. However, the challenges and uncertainties of transplant may be huge, and the additional support given to patients and families through the FHTLA is invaluable.

As social workers on the Transplant Unit we are greatly appreciative of the extra support provided by the FHTLA which otherwise would not be available for patients and families.

Shirley Ashworth, Gemma Berwick and Emma Sowerby
Social Workers, Heart and Lung Transplant Unit.

How we spent your money

From the previous financial year (2021 – 2022), the following achievements have been made by the FHLTA:

• £30,000.00 towards lung rejection research
• £3840.00 for fellow to continue research of lung rejection following transplant
• £800.00 each for 10 medical staff to attend the ISHLT conference – 1 requested funding this year.
• Plan to support next year with £15,000 for Paragnoix heart boxes pending
• Purchase of a luxury static caravan £83,030 at Tattershall Lakes in Lincolnshire and set up.
• Maintenance of the 2 FHLTA static caravan sighted at Whitley Bay Holiday Park and Tattershall Lakes
• Maintenance of the flats at cost of £864.00 on Freeman Hospital site – including pillows, cutlery, fans and replacement TVs. Not our responsibly to maintain though we support with equipment.
• Further roll out of FHLTA Bags with Love project at cost of £1,215.84 to support patients on wards at Freeman Hospital awaiting, or who have recently received a heart and/or lung transplant.
• Keyboards for 5 amazon fire tablets for use of families who have children on the ward to allow them to work easier from site.
• Patient support fund of £10,000 for transplant trusted to the transplant social workers to support adult and child patients and families (Freeman Heart & Lung transplant) – following the process of means testing beforehand.
• Patient support of £300.00 provided in the way of £10 and £20 Sainsbury’s vouchers for support with essentials around emergency admissions or longer stays in hospital.
• Mental health support of £211.61 – purchase of craft and activity equipment for transplant psychology team for inpatients and outpatients (this has been well used already)
• BTG games went ahead this year and we supported patients to attend at a cost of £5,544.79 which is considerably less than previous years prior to the pandemic.
• Set up and design of fundraising packs Introduction of fundraising packs to promote awareness of the FHLTA and what we do although this cost of £809.02 will not show until next year report.
• We have closed our account with Shawbrook and opened a new account with Cambridge and Counties an £85,000.00 bond for 2 years.