Congratulations to our cancer services colleagues who have been recognised at this year’s ‘Recovery Package Annual Conference’ hosted by Macmillan Cancer Support.
The ‘Recovery Package’, a self-management tool offering support around healthy lifestyle, finances, emotional wellbeing etc., is just one of the ways that Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust supports its cancer patients, and through its fantastic implementation and poster presentation of such, has seen the team praised by Macmillan; crowning them as winner in their ‘Best Poster’ competition.
In May of this year, Walsall staff were able to demonstrate to other midlands cancer services the Trust’s efforts around aiding recovery for cancer survivors, empowering them to manage their own care and improving their experience by reducing unnecessary appointments/admissions to hospital. The conference, held in Birmingham, also gave the Trust opportunity to shout about the provisions for end of life patients who can now access courses around coping with their diagnosis and controlling their symptoms.
The winning poster, developed by Consultant Clinical Psychologist Dr Shradha Lakhani, Clinical Nurse Specialist Lyn Waldron and Macmillan Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator Kiran Mann, detailed how the Trust achieved this, starting from its original Cancer Survivorship programme in 2006 – a project developed in response to experiences of Breast Cancer patients who had felt abandoned after treatment – to the creation of health and wellbeing forums, new cancer pathways, support groups, complimentary therapies and more.
And while the first programmes were developed for those with breast cancer, this over time has become available for all cancer patients and is constantly being developed through regular feedback.
Shradha said: “This is excellent recognition for the hard work undertaken by the cancer services Clinical Nurse Specialists and Allied Health Professionals to showcase how joined up team working truly has an impact on clinical care for patients and in doing so, the team as a whole are leading the way in delivering national initiatives ”