Macmillan Southport - What We Do

Macmillan @ www.macmillansouthport.com

The Macmillan Vision Statement

Imagine a time when every person in the land has equal and ready access to the best information, treatment and care for cancer and unnecessary levels of fear are set aside.

At Macmillan Cancer Relief we dedicate ourselves to working with others to turn this vision into everyone’s reality.

At Macmillan Cancer Relief we help to provide the expert care and practical and emotional support that makes a real difference for people living with cancer.

Right from the beginning and throughout your experience, we aim to be there for you and your family – whether at home or in hospital – listening to you, understanding your needs and helping life go on.

We raise funds for specialist Macmillan nurses and doctors who deliver the best in cancer care.  We build vitally needed treatment centres and provide a range of cancer information both locally and nationally, as well as giving financial help to those who need it most.

And to ensure our vision one day becomes a reality, we work with government, the NHS and others to develop policies and practices for real change.

The money we are raising will be used towards funding this cancer care within our local community, thus helping people living with cancer.

At the heart of the charity's work are over 2,000 Macmillan nurses working in posts in almost every local health authority in the UK, based in hospitals and the community. All Macmillan nurses are Registered Nurses with a minimum of 5 years' experience, including at least two in cancer or palliative care.

We rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund Macmillan nurses and their training for the first three years. After that the NHS takes over the long-term costs.

Macmillan nurses aim to help patients and their families from the moment cancer is first diagnosed.

These early days are important.

"When people first hear the word cancer, they are devastated. They feel shock and disbelief. We try to help them realise what their diagnosis really means and guide them through the many treatment options they may have."

Macmillan nurses give advice about treatments and they are experts in controlling pain and other symptoms.

They also spend time with patients and their families, helping them to come to terms and cope with the many emotional and practical problems they may face.

Many Macmillan nurses are based in the community, helping people to remain in their homes, while others support patients in hospitals. They work as part of a team with other nurses and doctors, ensuring that treatment and care for patients, from hospital to home, is continuous.

Some specialise in particular cancers such as breast cancer, lung cancer and children's cancers. Others specialise in areas such as chemotherapy - a drug treatment that kills cancer cells - or haematology, which relates to cancers of the blood.

A vital part of a Macmillan nurse's job is to share his or her knowledge and skills with students, other nurses and doctors. In doing this, they help to raise the level of skill and knowledge of cancer care throughout the health service. This means that they can help many more patients than they can reach personally.

"One of the worst things about having cancer is the financial strain, always looking to where the next lot of money is coming from.

Without people like yourselves perhaps the strain would have been too much for us to cope with, but you were always there for us."

Macmillan has given financial help since the 1920s and this work continues today. Every week, at least 300 people receive a cheque in the post to help with short and long-term money problems.

The money helps people to cope with extra fuel bills, or to reconnect or install a phone. Often a convalescent or weekend break is needed for the patient and family. There are hundreds of different ways in which a patient grant can help.

Our network of services also includes 200 Macmillan doctors, who are specialists in cancer treatment and care. They work at all levels in medicine, from consultants to junior doctors.

Some Macmillan doctors are oncologists - specialists in cancer treatment. By funding these doctors, Macmillan Cancer Relief is helping to meet the shortage of oncologists in the UK.

Others are senior lecturers, combining care with teaching and research, or Macmillan GP Facilitators, spending part of their time improving the knowledge and cancer care skills of their GP colleagues.

"I don't mind coming for my chemotherapy like I used to because I have such a lovely building to go to. It takes away the fear."

Since the service was established in 1974, over 70 projects have been completed throughout the UK, and considerable practical experience has been built-up in the planning and development of patient-centred environments. Undergoing treatments in bright, airy buildings can have a major effect on how patients cope psychologically with their illness.

This is why we design and construct buildings which ensure that people with cancer receive support and treatment in welcoming and comfortable surroundings.

Our task is to enhance what is there already, not to provide basic facilities. That means building, or renovating and equipping specialist cancer centres, including day care and in-patient units. Once open, the NHS takes on the running costs.

We also fund major projects to modernise and improve cancer wards and treatment areas in NHS hospitals.

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