Welcome to Axis Foundation, the charitable arm of Axis.

hospice

St Joseph’s Hospice

November 8, 2013By Axis Foundation

Specialist machine for Lymphoedema sufferers

£4,000 from the Axis Foundation purchased east London’s St Joseph’s Hospice a Flowtron Hydroven 12. This is a specialist machine for Lymphoedema sufferers to relieve the pain and swelling that are common with this condition.

“Receiving funding from the Axis Foundation is brilliant news and our patients will definitely benefit from this donation. Lymphoedema can be extremely disfiguring and health services are specialist and scarce so very often people miss out on getting treatment that can help. The Hydroven 12 machine will offer treatment to those people that would otherwise not be able to access or tolerate other lymphoedema treatments. It will enable people to have treatment in their own home and continue to work and live a normal life, which is vital to people who have a life-limiting condition. We are extremely grateful to all those involved” – Kim Barlow, Specialist Palliative Physiotherapist and Lymphoedema Practitioner

What is Lymphoedema?

Lymphoedema is a long-term (chronic) condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissues. It can affect any part of the body, but usually develops in the arms or legs. It develops when the lymphatic system doesn’t work properly.

How The Flowtron Hydroven 12 works

The Flowtron Hydroven 12 machine has an arm and leg sleeve, which inflates and deflates to massage the lymph channels and glands, encouraging drainage of fluid out of an enlarged limb. The machine mimics the practitioner’s lymphatic drainage hand massage technique

Benefits for sufferers

Flowtron Hydroven 12 sessions are shorter than those with a clinical practitioner
Sufferers can experience a beneficial 10- -day course of treatment at home without having to take time off work/interrupt their lives

Care

St Clare Hospice

October 12, 2013By Axis Foundation

Helping Hospice patients with pain relief

The Axis Foundation has donated £3,405 to St Clare Hospice in Essex to purchase two McKinley T34 Syringe Drivers. These important specialist pieces of clinical equipment provide Hospice patients with pain relief at home. And, with greater control over their own pain management, patients requires less intervention from a nurse so they can lead more independent lives.

St Clare’s Director of Patient Care, Louise Cameron, explains how they work: “The Syringe Driver is a small battery-powered pump that delivers medication from a syringe through a soft plastic tube placed under the skin. These small pumps provide continuous prescribed doses of medication to alleviate symptoms such as pain and nausea, sickness and fitting. Syringe drivers also ensure that patients do not have to undergo repeated painful injections or take medicine when they have trouble swallowing.”

Louise added her thanks: “Syringe drivers are crucial for our patient care services. We are grateful to the Axis Foundation for enabling the Hospice to buy these vital pieces of clinical equipment.”

More About St Clare Hospice

St Clare Hospice provides specialist care for people living with life-limiting illnesses in the west Essex and east Hertfordshire border area. The charity cares for patients and their families, providing physical, social, psychological and spiritual support. St Clare Hospice’s annual running costs total £2.8m, 70 per cent of which comes from voluntary income.

Care

St John’s Hospice

August 20, 2013By Axis Foundation

New chairs support patients with limited mobility

St John’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care services to over 2,000 people each year suffering from life-limiting illnesses or long-term conditions. The Axis Foundation donated £4,470 to the hospice, buying three patient chairs to help patients to sit and stand, as well as aiding nurses with bed transfers and hoisting.

Before we made our donation, the chairs at the hospice were low in number and of poor quality. Our new chairs will facilitate simple tasks such as sitting and standing. They also provide extra support for those who are unable to maintain their body posture. The chairs provide more than just physical support to patients with limited mobility; it helps them to build up their confidence, self-esteem and independence again.

‘I was delighted to hear the wonderful news of support from the Axis Foundation. I cannot thank the Foundation enough for this generous grant of £4,470 for new specialist patient chairs for use on our Inpatient Unit. Upgrading patient seating will allow us to meet the increasingly specialised needs of patients and maintain our high standards of care.’ Steve Barnes, Hospice Director

Previous Support from the Axis Foundation

In 2014, the Axis Foundation donated £2,000 to the hospice. This enabled them to purchase specialist laser equipment that helps patients with limited mobility due to painful swelling and heaviness in their limbs. The laser reduces patients’ pain and discomfort through its ability to soften tissue and reduce limb swelling. It can also improve scar tissue (post mastectomy), increase the time it takes to heal wounds and boosts the immune system. The laser specifically helps those suffering from upper and lower limb Lymphoedema. Without adequate treatment, lymphoedema can have major effects, including long-term disability, difficulties with work and emotional problems.

“We are very grateful for voluntary grants and donations like this from The Axis Foundation which enables us to provide a much-loved service to vulnerable people with life-limiting illnesses” – Laura Marazzi, Trust Fundraising Manager

More About St John’s Hospice

The hospice, based in Central London, is the largest palliative care provider in Westminster and cares for people suffering from cancer, HIV, motor neurone disease and other terminal illnesses. People in their care need support with a wide range of symptoms including acute pain, severe mobility problems, anxiety, breathlessness and weight loss. This includes patients with advanced neurological conditions such as Motor Neurone Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and brain tumours.

A Message from St John’s Hospice on our 10th Birthday

For our 10th Birthday, St John’s Hospice had a message of thanks for the Axis family:

Demelza

Donation to Demelza Pays For Whole Year of Nursing Care

May 12, 2011By Axis Foundation

We gifted a grand total of £52,000 to Demelza’s Adopt a Nurse programme in 2011. The money will pay for a Demelza Nurse and Care Assistant for a year.

The Adopt a Nurse initiative is vital to Demelza’s work providing hospice care for over 700 children with life-limiting illnesses and their families across Kent, East Sussex and South East London. The scheme funds the salary for a specialist pediatric nurse who delivers much-needed care to the children and respite for parents. Parent company Axis and the Axis Foundation have supported Demelza’s adopt a Nurse campaign for seven years.

Axis Foundation Trustee Sandie Ryan presented a cheque for £40,000 to staff at Demelza’s Kent hospice in April (2011). A further £12,000 was added via Just Giving donations to the Foundation. Axis people raised much of this great total through dressing up, running in the London 10K, a sponsored walk along the Great Wall of China, a golf day and a Summer Ball.

At the presentation, Sandie Ryan said: “The care these nurses provide is second to none and it’s clear to see how much the families need this extra pair of hands.”

Demelza’s Natalie Tegg said: “Demelza are hugely grateful to the Axis Foundation for all their amazing support. To raise this amount of money is fantastic. Thank you to all the Axis staff for their outstanding efforts. Their help will allow us to pay for a nurse to help children and families in the South East.”

Demelza

Early Foundation Donation Strengthens Existing Partnership with Demelza

December 20, 2010By Axis Foundation

Axis Foundation’s first donation of £6,000 strengthens our partnership with children’s Hospice Demelza.

Our donation of £6,000 to Demelza Children’s Hospice (FY2010) , not only strengthened the links with our existing charity partner. but also marked one of our Foundation’s very first donations!

Bricks and Water

Prior to this, the Foundation’s parent company Axis also supported Demelza’s Bricks and Water appeal to improve the facilities at their Sittingbourne hospice. With our help, the £1.3m hospice created a Hydrotherapy Centre and two new bedrooms for teenage patients meanwhile refurbishing two existing bedrooms. Axis CEO John Hayes volunteered and was appointed to be a member of the Appeal Board.

New Hospice in Eltham

Axis also contributed to building a new hospice for Demelza in Eltham in south east London. Olympic champions and Demelza vice presidents Jayne Torvill and Robin Cousins opened the new premises in 2009 after a £5m fundraising campaign. Celebrating the first anniversary of the Eltham hospice in 2010, our people joined Demelza supporters, nurses, children and their families at the ‘polka dot tea party’. In a short year, the new hospice increased Demelza’s provision of care and support so that for approximately 570 children ‘life can be added to days, where days can not be added to life’.
The Axis Foundation is proud to be in charity partnership with Demelza.