The Ten Percent Foundation have purchased 17 In Range CoaguChek In Range Monitors together with testing strips and training video resources for £5,083 for the use by parents of children with congenital heart disease who are on warfarin.
Anna Gresty, MD of TP Transcription Limited, has direct experience of the difficulties parents face in relation to obtaining these machines, and suggested that the charity could purchase the machines directly from Roche and loan them to parents who are treated by Alder Hey Children’s hospital. Children on warfarin can be expected to test their INR weekly at times and are unable to attend the coagulation clinics at GP surgeries due to their age so this can mean a lengthy journey to their specialist hospital for a blood test which takes a couple of minutes, missing school and parents missing work. Children can also be expected to have a blood test before certain sports activities and when on holiday and so having a machine they can carry with them improves the quality of their lives immensely.
Roche have very kindly added an additional 2 machines to the order as part of the deal.
The loaning of the machines will be managed by Helen Walker, Team Lead for Cardiac Nurse Specialists at Alder Hey Children’s Charity on behalf of the Ten Percent Foundation.
Helen said “The benefits of the In Range machines to our patients and families are huge. They reduce the need for time off school for the children and work for families, they give the family a better quality of life whilst keeping the children safe. INRs can be done at the weekend if needed to save going to hospital or going out when unwell. They are able to be taken on holidays reducing the need for finding hospitals abroad if an INR is needed whilst away. Ultimately they give the family much more flexibility in their lives, reducing the amount of hospital appointments they have is a huge benefit, when living with CHD as this can be overwhelming at times.”
Helen and the cardiac nurse specialists at Alder Hey will also support the training of patients & families and the ongoing management of the machines.
Anna Gresty said “these machines will make an amazing difference to the quality of the lives of 19 families based in the North West who are living with the challenges a life on warfarin creates.”
The Ten Percent Foundation is the charitable trust responsible for donating the 10% net profit donation of the Ten Percent Group of companies every year since 2000.
