A hospice has received a £5,500 grant for medical equipment from The Guardian’s parent company.

The money was donated to St Clare Hospice in Hastingwood Road, Hastingwood, by the Gannett Foundation.

The funds will be able to purchase new syringe drivers which are small battery powered syringe drivers which deliver a dose of continuous medication.

The portable devices are more discreet and comfortable, than previous models, when inserted under the skin of the patient.

Beth Burton, In-patient Unit Manager, said: “This grant means everything. I can’t say how valuable these syringe drivers are.

“It’s not just about alleviating patients’ physical symptoms but the improvement of their quality of life.

“It’s important for the families of patients too. It’s not nice to see you loved ones in pain or suffering from nausea and this equipment will help reduce that.”

Louise Cameron, Director of Patient Care for the hospice said: “The syringe drivers allow us to administer medication to patients without repeated painful injections or tablets, which many patients can find difficult to swallow, especially during end of life care.

“The equipment is really important because it enables us to make the patients as comfortable as possible.

“We are delighted to be able to update our stock of syringe drivers and keep our equipment up to date.”

The intravenous equipment will be used to help those terminally ill patients who suffer from pain, nausea or convulsions.

The hospice has been able to purchase five brand new syringe drivers which cost around £1,000 each.

St Clare Hospice costs around £2.8 million to run every year and only receiver 30 per cent of its funding from the NHS.

Other funds come from individual donations fundraising events and grants.

Gannett gives grants of between £5,000 and £10,000 to projects that bring lasting benefits to communities within the footprint of its newspapers and websites.