Charities team up to offer SDR patients new support
Caudwell Children and Tree of Hope have today announced a new partnership aimed at funding the Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) treatment for children with cerebral palsy; an operation that can dramatically reduce spasticity and enable children to walk unaided for the first time.
Trudi Beswick, Chief Executive at Caudwell Children, said: “SDR is a truly life-changing treatment and both charities have been instrumental in helping families from across the UK access the operation, both here and in America where the procedure was first developed.
From our fundraising in this field, Caudwell Children has been able to open up a limited fund to support families looking to self-fund the treatment and we are delighted to be working with the team at Tree of Hope to identify those families who can benefit from this funding.”
Following a recent announcement from NHS England, SDR has been made available to UK patients through a scheme entitled ‘Commissioning through Evaluation’, but restrictions on the age and type of cerebral palsy means that some eligible candidates for the treatment will not be able to access NHS funding.
“The introduction of SDR to the NHS is a huge step forward in making this operation more widely available, but at present there are still patients who would benefit from SDR who will have to pay for it themselves, and as long as that is the case we will be here to help. By releasing this money to help pay for the operation, Caudwell Children are making it more accessible for those families who don’t meet the NHS commissioning criteria.” said Jeremy Marris, Chief Executive of Tree of Hope.
Families fundraising for SDR can apply for up to £5,000 towards the treatment costs which will be paid directly to the hospital undertaking the procedure. The limited fund will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Both charities have been instrumental in supporting families across the country seeking to fund the operation, which can cost up to £30,000, and will actively seek candidates for the new funding over the coming months.
For more information on the two charities and how they can help visit www.caudwellchildren.com and www.treeofhope.org.uk or call 01892 535525.
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