Emergency nurse to hike up Everest
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n emergency nurse at Peterborough City Hospital is embarking on a gruelling training regime to prepare for a trek up Mount Everest, in Nepal. Darren Hipwell has been working as an Emergency Nurse at the Trust for 3 years and has already climbed Snowden, Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Kilimanjaro. Now he is taking on the ultimate challenge, by trekking for eight days up to the base camp on Mount Everest in March 2015, whilst raising money for the British Heart Foundation. Darren said: “It was really important to me to raise the funds for the British Heart Foundation, as two of my grandparents died as a result of heart attacks and as a result of working in the Emergency Department I know first-hand the effects
that heart conditions can have on your body.” The trek, the cost of which Darren is paying for himself, will take eight days to ascend and two days to descend and will reach altitudes of up to 5,647 metres. Darren has already started his cardiovascular training by going to the gym 3 to 4 times a week and by cycling 200 miles a week. He said: “I am hoping to raise £3,000 for the charity and staff at the Trust have been hugely supportive. I have been very fortunate to be given the opportunity to do this and want to make sure that I raise as much money as possible.” Donations can be made via Darren’s Just Giving page: https:// www.justgiving. com/DarrenHipwell
Darren Hipwell
This was a good opportunity to raise money for some great causes
Facilities team caus at the Deepings Raf
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t was a case of ‘sink or swim’ for members of the Trust’s Facilities team when they embarked on a charity effort in the annual Deepings Raft Race on Sunday 3 August 2014.
to finish as they navigated the occasionally choppy waters of the River Welland.
Six members of the team – Andy Tunnicliffe, Matt Grant, Adrian Toon, Mark Luck, John White and Rahim Ebrahim – used their spare time to build a raft using a scrapped hospital bed that stayed afloat from start
The Trust is set to benefit from the funds raised at this year’s race, as the Raft Race committee has chosen to split all cash raised between the Critical Care Unit at PCH, Parkinson’s UK and Great
While they did not win, they navigated the mile-long course in a respectable 48 minutes.
Home dialysis event at the Peterborough
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The Renal Team at Peterborough City Hospital organised an event to raise awareness about home dialysis. There are a number of patients who carry out their own dialysis treatment at home, but not everyone is aware of what it actually involves.
term life sustaining treatment. Helen Short Community Sister said: “It is important that people on dialysis are aware that home dialysis is possible, it may help improve physical symptoms and quality of life and being involved in your treatment can be empowering.”
Dialysis is needed when the kidneys are no longer working effectively and is a long
Patients on the unit and those dialysing at units outside Peterborough were invited
to the event to meet other patients who already carry out their dialysis at home. Michael Lee attended the event with his wife, Shelia. Michael has been receiving dialysis treatment from home for five years. He said: “Having the treatment at home is much more convenient as it removes the hassle of organising transport and waiting for a time slot from the hospital.”