Leading Law Firm Awards £50,000 to Life Changing Projects
Slater and Gordon have awarded £50,000 to projects tirelessly battling mesothelioma, lung cancer and improving the life of patients with brain injuries.
This year’s Health and Research Fund has provided a much needed cash injection to two neurological teams at Imperial College London, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, Birmingham University and Glasgow University.
Debbie Barlow from Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation said the £12,500 award will ‘help save lives’.
She added: “Currently, lung cancer survival rates are not in line with many other cases.
“Only 38 percent of patients survive for a year or more compared to 96 percent of breast cancer patients.”
Expert, Hasan Raza, of Charing Cross Hospital received the first of two grants to the Imperial College of London.
His pilot project hopes to cut operating time for patients suffering with brain damage and has the potential to improve the outcome of surgery for 300 people in a single year.
Hasan Raza, who received £5,224, said: “The grant will allow us to purchase equipment to conduct experiments into using new hologram virtual reality technology.
“Speed and safety directly saves lives in the operating theatre and should help reduce costs. Operating theatres are one of the most costly aspects of running a hospital.
“It is not possible to estimate lives saved just yet but if the device works how we anticipate, it is likely to improve outcomes for most of the people that undergo this procedure.
“That is an average of about five to ten patients per week in our unit or 250-300 patients per year in a single hospital.”
The NET Research Team at Imperial Neuro-trauma Centre at St. Mary’s Hospital received a grant of £11,100.
Sophie J Camp, Neurosurgery Consultant, said: “The funding will allow the Major Trauma Centre at Imperial College Healthcare Trust to undertake important preliminary work, which seeks to optimise the neuro-critical care management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury.
“The study utilises a new small camera to look directly at blood flow in the brain. Currently we can only infer blood flow in the brain by comparing a patient’s blood pressure inside their head.
“This new technique acts as a window to the brain and could help improve the care of brain injured patients.”
Since the UK Fund was set up in 2014, more than £150,000 has been awarded to deserving not-for-profit and charitable causes.
In total £500,000 will be granted to such projects by 2020.
Ken Fowlie, Slater and Gordon’s UK CEO, said: “These donations will really make a difference to the future of caring for patients with severe brain injuries and those suffering with the effects of mesothelioma.
“Many of our clients live with the consequences of a catastrophic injury and we see first-hand the struggles they face.
“We have already seen many outstanding projects benefit from our funding, including leading charities, educational establishments and health institutions.
“These projects make a real difference to peoples’ lives and that’s something we feel very passionate about.”
To receive information or to speak to a Slater and Gordon representative about grant application processes and fund priorities email researchfund@slatergordon.co.uk providing your contact details.