Cancer wellbeing event for patients hailed a success

 

Jessica Jones, Marion Bennie and Kerrie Newsham from Blackpool Teaching Hospitals’ Living With and Beyond Cancer project team at the Village Hotel

Marion Bennie, Kerrie Newsham and Jessica Jones from Blackpool Teaching Hospitals’ Living With and Beyond Cancer project team at the Village Hotel

People were invited to a health and wellbeing event featuring information on how to live well after cancer.

The aim of the pilot event was to offer better access to information and support to enable individuals from the Fylde coast to live well while recovering from the disease.

Researchers have found that more and more people are surviving cancer but not everyone has a good quality of life as they are recovering.

With this in mind, the event organisers decided to provide as much information as possible so that people could find physical, mental, emotional and practical support.

More than 100 people attended the event at the Village Hotel on November 15 which was organised as part of the Living With and Beyond Cancer (LWBC) programme and involved planning from by LWBC team, Macmillan Information Manager and Clinical Nurse Specialists at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Jessica Jones, Macmillan Clinical Transformation Lead for the Trust, said: “The event was very successful and feedback has been very positive.

“We thoroughly enjoyed helping people to get the information and support to help them live well with and beyond cancer.  The events allow people living with cancer and their families to take control of and participate in their own recovery and to learn about positive lifestyle changes.

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“People who attended the event have been asked to complete feedback forms to say what they thought of the event and make any suggestions. We will be putting together a full report from the feedback so that we can make the next event even better.

“Staff working in other departments and from community teams also attended the event to find out about what support is available for cancer patients.

“We would like to thank all of the teams, charities, organisations and support groups that have supported the event.”

The event opened with the opportunity for people to browse a large selection of stalls including clinical nurse specialists from the Trust, health and social care professionals, charities and support groups. There was also a wellbeing section with information on complementary therapies, exercise and how to ‘look good and feel better’.

Presentations were made by health professionals including how to eat well after cancer, the importance of physical activity, advice for carers, employment support and mental health services.

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Participants said they found the information useful and picked up leaflets and brochures that were relevant to them.

One participant said: “It was so good to see so many staff who are there to help and support those of us with cancer.”

Another said “sharing information with others and getting positive attitudes to facing the disease” was helpful.

One person said it was good to have practical leaflets available to take away and read at leisure.

Another said: “I am grateful to everyone who helps with ‘the fight. Thank you so much.”

A carer added: “I found the information very beneficial.”

Four Health and Wellbeing events are being planned throughout 2017: Tuesday, February 21, Tuesday, May 23, Tuesday, September 5  and Tuesday, November 14. Further details will be released nearer the time.

For further information on the Living With and Beyond Cancer programme and to sign up for notifications of future events please email:  LWBC@bfwhospitals.nhs.uk or call the project team on 01253 957147.

 

 

 

 

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