Charity funds new equipment for lymphodema patients

Pictured, left to right, with a LymphaTouch machine, members of the Ceredigion Team Emma Driscoll, Clinical Lead; Andrea Graham, Service Lead; and Gwawr Ward, Clinical Educator – Lymphoedema.

Thanks to generous donations, Hywel Dda Health Charities – the official charity of Hywel Dda Health Board – has funded new equipment worth £14,850 which provides one of the most effective treatments for lymphoedema.

Lymphoedema is a life-long condition which can affect all ages. The causes are many, but include cancer treatments, injury, and obesity, which cause fluid to collect in the skin. This chronic swelling can be painful and result in a loss of movement.  

Hywel Dda’s lymphoedema service previously had access to just one LymphaTouch machine. The charitable funding has paid for three new and up-to-date LymphaTouch machines, meaning the latest technology is now available across the whole of the Hywel Dda region.

Andrea Graham, the health board’s Lymphoedema Service Lead, said: “We are extremely grateful that donations from the public have enabled us to buy the three LymphaTouch machines.

“This equipment provides the latest technology which enables the therapist to work more efficiently and the patient to achieve concrete results faster.

“The machines work by applying negative pressure to the skin. They are portable and therefore easier for staff to use and more able to access parts of the body affected.

“The availability of this technology in each of our counties means we can provide an equitable and improved service to patients across the Hywel Dda region.”

Nicola Llewelyn, Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”