£240k funding for Macmillan cancer services

The Living With and Beyond Cancer programme has been designed to ensure everyone with a cancer diagnosis has access to all the different types of support they need, in the places they need it.

The programme is about using what services the county already has while aligning with other work going on in Lincolnshire to make sure there is one integrated service. Some new services could also be developed if the need is identified.

The project is being led by NHS Lincolnshire West Clinical Commissioning Group and Macmillan Cancer Support has already funded the programme development manager’s post for three years.

Now, Macmillan has granted funding of £243,512 for two community programme facilitators for two years, meaning work can soon get underway on the ground.

Kathie Longbone, Macmillan Cancer Support development manager at NHS Lincolnshire West CCG, who is leading the programme, said she was excited about what could now be achieved.

This is such exciting news because it means Macmillan are funding a transformation programme and not just direct service delivery. It will allow us to make much more of a difference to people’s lives.

“They are giving us the opportunity to transform the way things are done and make that sustainable. As there is so much variance around the county we need to make sure what we put in place in communities is suitable for that community. For example, the East Coast has lots of older people so the way to support them is different from other places with a different demographic.”

She explained: “This money will enable us to appoint two people to help us roll out what is known as the Recovery Package in communities across Lincolnshire. The Recovery Package is something that has to be rolled out by all health trusts across England by 2020 and consists of four elements. Two of these usually take place in hospitals – the holistic needs assessment and a treatment summary. A holistic needs assessment aims to find out what sort of help and support patients need at various times of need and especially at the end of their treatment to be able to live their lives to full after a cancer diagnosis.

“The Treatment Summary is where consultants and other clinicians compile a report of a patient’s treatment and send it to their GP, so that their GP is aware of the treatment that’s been given as there may be implications from treatment further down the line.

It is hoped the project will kick off in Boston and Gainsborough in April, before working in Lincoln South federation, Stamford, Grantham and Spalding with eventual coverage over the whole county by 2020.