A new information centre for people affected by, or concerned about cancer will be opening in Southport this autumn through a unique partnership between the charity Macmillan Cancer Support, local doctors and NHS Sefton.
About 800 people are diagnosed with cancer in Southport and Formby every year and several thousand more are tested for symptoms that could be cancer.
Macmillan will fund for the new information centre on Scarisbrick Avenue for five years. The charity will also fund an Information Manager and an Information Assistant to run the service, which will offer much needed and easily accessible advice about living and coping with the disease. The idea was developed by Southport and Formby Practice Based Commissioning Consortium and NHS Sefton.
Dr Graeme Allan, Southport GP and Cancer Lead for NHS Sefton, explains: “Cancer patients in Southport and Formby have told us that while they receive good care and information when they are being treated in hospital, once they are discharged it is not always easy for them to find the follow on information they need to help them cope when they are back at home.”
When mobile cancer information services visit Southport, they attract very high levels of visitors. In fact, the number of people seeking advice from the Merseyside and Cheshire Cancer Network’s iVan is similar to what is expected when the van visits a major city centre location, not a town centre.
He added: “We have designed the centre to fill this information gap in Southport and Formby, so all Sefton residents have equal access to information no matter which part of the borough they live in. We’re delighted to be working with Macmillan to provide such a valuable service.”
As well as offering information to anyone affected by cancer, staff will give advice about reducing the risks of developing cancer. Early detection greatly improves peoples’ chances of their cancer being treated successfully, so they will be encouraging people to seek medical advice to get any symptoms checked out quickly.
The team will also be on hand for outpatients at cancer clinics in Southport Hospital. The funding from Macmillan will also supply new cancer information resources at Ormskirk Hospital, Queenscourt Hospice and the Sefton Cancer Support Group’s base in 1 Duke Street, Formby.
Dr Allan said: “This is the first time Macmillan has worked with GPs in this way in the North of England and the new centre will be a valuable resource for people worried about cancer as well as cancer patients and their families and or carers. Health professionals will be able to refer patients or carers with information needs to the service.”
It will be based in the Southport Community Service Station on Scarisbrick Ave, run by Sefton Carers Centre -the one stop centre for people with long term health conditions. It means visitors will also be able to get complementary advice about things like welfare benefits, equipment to aid independent living and support for carers.
Jeremy Such, Macmillan Development Manager, said: “We’re delighted to be involved in this project which we know will provide a much needed service for local people. Research by Macmillan has shown that getting the right information at the right time in a supportive atmosphere can make a real difference to how people cope with cancer.”
Sarah Reynolds from NHS Sefton said: “We were keen to have a welcoming cancer information point based in central Southport, which people can drop into whilst in town. They will also be able to arrange appointments if they need a longer discussion.
“We’ve been working with patients to design the centre and we’ll be linking with a variety of cancer support groups to make sure people know about the help there is available locally for them.”
The cancer information centre is on track to open in the autumn. In the meantime information about living with cancer is available by calling Macmillan free on 0800 808 0000 or visiting www.macmillan.org.uk Sefton Cancer Support Group can offer a listening ear and a calendar of social events for people affected by cancer in the area. The Group can be contacted on 01704 879 352.
No comments:
Post a Comment