New cancer support service to be rolled out in Campbeltown
Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 9:51 pmNew cancer support service available in Argyll and Bute from September 2013
A new service for people affected by cancer and their families and carers will be piloted in local libraries at the end of September by Macmillan Cancer Support, in partnership with Argyll and Bute Council, NHS Highland, and Argyll Voluntary Action.
The Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service will be established at Campbeltown Library and Rothesay Library in the first two years, with a view to rolling out services in all the libraries in Argyll and Bute. The project is funded by Macmillan Cancer Support and is also supported by a wider partnership of agencies to provide specialist skills.
This is an additional service which aims to complement the work of medical staff by providing someone to talk to for people affected by cancer, whether that is the person who has been diagnosed with the disease, or their family and friends.
Service Manager Deirdre Henderson and Volunteer Co-ordinator Chris Holden will be based at Campbeltown Library and are recruiting and training volunteers to provide drop-in ‘listening ear’ sessions in the libraries. A range of Macmillan Cancer Support leaflets will be available in the library, with guided support to online resources and further specialist support.
Lead Councillor for Community, Culture and Strategic Housing George Freeman said
‘If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, you will want all the information you can find and a chance to talk about it. The local library is a familiar place for most people, which should make the Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service easy to find and use. Sometimes friends, colleagues and close family members can also find themselves struggling to know how to cope, and this new service is for them too.’
The service is not clinical but aims to help people make informed choices about their treatment and care, to help reduce anxiety and also to help overcome the practical, financial and emotional aspects of the illness.
Elspeth Atkinson, Director of Macmillan Cancer Support said: ‘A cancer diagnosis brings with it all kinds of questions and uncertainty for patients, their families and friends. Being able to access information and emotional support at this stressful time is vital. This fantastic new service will mean that people affected by cancer in Argyll and Bute will be able to get the information and support they need from trained cancer specialists, right on their doorstep.
‘It is thanks to the hard work and dedication of our supporters in Argyll and Bute, who raise so much money for us that we are able to establish such a vital service. Macmillan believes that no-one should face cancer alone and the continued support from people locally will help us to ensure that no one does.’
To find out more about the project, or if you are interested in volunteering, contact Deirdre or Chris on 01586 555932 or pop in and see them at Campbeltown Library. More information can also be found at www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/macmillan
Editors’ notes:
The Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service is funded entirely by Macmillan Cancer Support with support from Argyll and Bute Council, NHS Highland, and Argyll Voluntary Action.
About Macmillan Cancer Support
More than one in three of us will get cancer. For most of us it will be toughest fight we ever face. And the feelings of isolation and loneliness that so many people experience make it even harder.
But you don’t have to go through it alone. The Macmillan team is with you every step of the way.
We are the nurses and therapists helping you through treatment. The experts on the end of the phone. The advisers telling you which benefits you’re entitled to. The volunteers giving you a hand with the everyday things. The campaigners improving cancer care. The community there for you online anytime. The supporters who make it all possible.
Together, we are Macmillan Cancer Support.
A new service for people affected by cancer and their families and carers will be piloted in local libraries at the end of September by Macmillan Cancer Support, in partnership with Argyll and Bute Council, NHS Highland, and Argyll Voluntary Action.
The Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service will be established at Campbeltown Library and Rothesay Library in the first two years, with a view to rolling out services in all the libraries in Argyll and Bute. The project is funded by Macmillan Cancer Support and is also supported by a wider partnership of agencies to provide specialist skills.
This is an additional service which aims to complement the work of medical staff by providing someone to talk to for people affected by cancer, whether that is the person who has been diagnosed with the disease, or their family and friends.
Service Manager Deirdre Henderson and Volunteer Co-ordinator Chris Holden will be based at Campbeltown Library and are recruiting and training volunteers to provide drop-in ‘listening ear’ sessions in the libraries. A range of Macmillan Cancer Support leaflets will be available in the library, with guided support to online resources and further specialist support.
Lead Councillor for Community, Culture and Strategic Housing George Freeman said
‘If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, you will want all the information you can find and a chance to talk about it. The local library is a familiar place for most people, which should make the Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service easy to find and use. Sometimes friends, colleagues and close family members can also find themselves struggling to know how to cope, and this new service is for them too.’
The service is not clinical but aims to help people make informed choices about their treatment and care, to help reduce anxiety and also to help overcome the practical, financial and emotional aspects of the illness.
Elspeth Atkinson, Director of Macmillan Cancer Support said: ‘A cancer diagnosis brings with it all kinds of questions and uncertainty for patients, their families and friends. Being able to access information and emotional support at this stressful time is vital. This fantastic new service will mean that people affected by cancer in Argyll and Bute will be able to get the information and support they need from trained cancer specialists, right on their doorstep.
‘It is thanks to the hard work and dedication of our supporters in Argyll and Bute, who raise so much money for us that we are able to establish such a vital service. Macmillan believes that no-one should face cancer alone and the continued support from people locally will help us to ensure that no one does.’
To find out more about the project, or if you are interested in volunteering, contact Deirdre or Chris on 01586 555932 or pop in and see them at Campbeltown Library. More information can also be found at www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/macmillan
Editors’ notes:
The Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service is funded entirely by Macmillan Cancer Support with support from Argyll and Bute Council, NHS Highland, and Argyll Voluntary Action.
About Macmillan Cancer Support
More than one in three of us will get cancer. For most of us it will be toughest fight we ever face. And the feelings of isolation and loneliness that so many people experience make it even harder.
But you don’t have to go through it alone. The Macmillan team is with you every step of the way.
We are the nurses and therapists helping you through treatment. The experts on the end of the phone. The advisers telling you which benefits you’re entitled to. The volunteers giving you a hand with the everyday things. The campaigners improving cancer care. The community there for you online anytime. The supporters who make it all possible.
Together, we are Macmillan Cancer Support.