Each year 13,000 new patients are referred to Clatterbridge, and just as each cancer is unique, so is each individual’s experience of treatment. The physical effects of hair loss, fatigue, pain are well known but what can be harder to understand and appreciate is the psychological effects which a patient might experience.
Clatterbridge employs two consultant psychiatrists and a patient counsellor who work as a team to provide support for patients who may be struggling to cope during their treatment. This team is limited to only seeing patients who are palliative or who have metastatic disease due to capacity.
Thanks to your support, we are able to to provide funding for an additional counsellor for one day per week -this means that another six patients a week can access counselling.
Receiving a cancer diagnosis can turn anyone’s life upside down, but this disruption is perhaps felt most keenly amongst young people, who can be isolated by their diagnosis. Often their friends don’t understand what they are going through and it’s a time of life when feeling ‘different’ can have a huge effect.
Thanks to your support, Clatterbridge Cancer Charity was able to fully fund the creation of a dedicated Teenage & Young Adult Unit at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, along with ongoing support.
The Charity is delighted to fund a weekly lunch club and a series of opportunities and events through the year for young people to help offer eachother social and emotional support; which are vital to their development through diagnosis, treatment and beyond.
From football matches, to zoo trips, spa days and even participating in a podcast with FACT Liverpool, each event is tailored to provide young people with various fun and engaging activities and a safe space to explore their diagnosis alongside other young people who have gone through a similar experience to them.
It’s thanks to your support that we can do this.
Funded by donations, the Charity offers a range of creative activities, performances and artwork for patients, through the Arts in Health programme at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.
There is a huge body of evidence which shows the benefits of engaging with art whilst undergoing cancer treatment and for this reason the charity is very proud to fund Clatterbridge’s entire arts programme each year.
Arts coordinator Sam Wade: “the funding of arts activity in the hospital makes a huge difference for patients. It’s not uncommon to now find musicians from the Liverpool Philharmonic playing our fantastic piano in the hospital reception or sitting with patients in waiting area and simply playing them a song on clarinet or flute. They also lead music workshops for patients who are staying in hospital, all of which reduces patients stress, provides distraction and even improves their treatment – patients who engage with the arts report less pain than the patients who don’t!”
The charity is very proud to fund this work, including partnerships with FACT Liverpool, Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Bluecoat alongside a range of with poets, artists and sculptors.
The term “palliative care” conjures images of the very last days of somebodies life. The lead consultant at Clatterbridge for this area is Dr Dan Monnery and he champions the idea that palliative care can start very early in a patient’s treatment – after all many patients may have incurable disease but survive for many years.
Dan’s team have developed award-winning systems for caring for ‘non-curative’ patients at Clatterbridge, which have been copied across the UK – these systems put the patient at the very centre. We are proud to support Dan and his team with £50,000 of your donations to fund a research project which aims to predict when patients may need this support.
We have also funded additional counselling support for families – aimed at those with young children – better preparing them for what is to come. On top of this, we have funded 100 memory boxes which are created with the patients family as a lasting final reminder of their loved one.
It’s not just the huge life-changing innovations that we fund at Clatterbridge, did you know that we also provide some of the smaller touches that have a big impact?
Items such as:
It’s items like these make a vital difference to patient care, including less time in hospital, relieving anxiety and helping recovery.
The Clatterbridge Fairy was specially created by our Charity Patron, internationally acclaimed sculptor, Emma Rodgers.
We asked Emma to share why she's supporting our Fairy Appeal:
"I have been a Patron of Clatterbridge Cancer Charity for 14 years now, as my mum is cared for there. They are incredible with her and getting the 'all clear' was a wonderful moment. They've done more for me than I can ever do for them, so creating the Fairy seems a small thing, really.
And this year I will be dedicating my Fairy to Professor Myint and the Team at Clatterbridge love from Emma, Milly, Annie and family."
