BREAST cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in Gloucestershire will now have access to innovative anti-hair loss equipment following a charity grant.

Walk the Walk, a grant-giving breast cancer charity, awarded £97,000 to the oncology department at Cheltenham General Hospital to enable the purchase of eight scalp cooling machines.

The technique is a simple treatment that can prevent hair loss caused by certain chemotherapy drugs.

Reducing the temperature of the scalp before, during and after chemotherapy reduces the damage the intensive treatment has on hair follicles.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust oncology lead nurse Tracey Cullerne has been working alongside Walk the Walk and manufacturer Paxman to provide the service in the county.

“We were so pleased when our oncology department at Cheltenham General Hospital was awarded the £97,000 grant from Walk the Walk charity to purchase eight scalp cooling machines,” she said.

“This also included a comprehensive maintenance, consumable and training package and it is very exciting times.

“Our staff have been trained over the last few weeks and they are now keen to get the service off the ground so our patients can start getting the benefits.

“I’m confident it will improve the service we are able to provide to our patients receiving chemotherapy, as loss of hair can have a devastating impact on some patients.

“The scalp coolers can help keep hair loss to a minimum, which means patients feel better in themselves and helps maintain a sense of ‘normality’ during chemotherapy”.

On Tuesday, May 9 patient Audrey Knapp became the first person at the hospital to make use of the new equipment.