WITH the help of £12,000 from the League of Friends, the White Horse Health Centre’s foot clinic recently bought equipment enabling surgeons to perform more advanced surgery than ever at the centre.
The League of Friends donated the huge amount to the health centre so it could buy more advanced technology including a power console for electric tools and a pneumatic tourniqet.
Consultant podiatric surgeon at the health centre, Claire Freeman said, “This new equipment is a massive improvement for our clinic and it means we can offer a full range of services right here in Westbury; before, we were limited to just doing soft tissue procedures. The League of Friends’ help is so important because we’ve been able to use the money to buy really top quality equipment.
“There’s definitely a need for it because I have operated on people from Westbury at my clinic in Chippenham, but now they can get the treatment they need without leaving the town. Some patients have even been waiting for the new equipment to come and see us here!”
The new machinery will mean patients will not have to travel out of town to hospitals for surgery on conditions such as bunions, toe joint arthritis, hammer toes, neuromas, ganglion, and tendon repairs.
Chair of the Westbury and District League of Friends (LOF) Erica Watson said, “We are pleased to have been able to part-fund the costs of setting up a foot surgery clinic for the area.
“The LOF have been working for many years to support health care in the Westbury district and the introduction of this new service for Westbury, which will benefit all age groups, has been made possible by legacies and the generous donations made by the community at our various fund raising events.”
Over the past 18 months the LOF have also donated funds to Hope for Tomorrow, the hearing aid repair clinic, Alzheimer’s Society, Stepping Stones, Crosspoint, Wiltshire Air Ambulance, and Whitehorse Children’s Centre, as well as making donations to individuals for healthcare equipment.
