News

The Macmillan Cancer Support Centre at Kettering General Hospital has received a top quality assessment award for the way it supports people living with cancer.

The centre – which has been operating since May 2022 and was officially launched by Lord Spencer in January - has achieved the Macmillan Quality Environment Mark (MQEM).

That means it has had a detailed and independent assessment and been found to have gone above and beyond to create a welcoming and friendly space that meets people’s needs.

The support centre at KGH scored top marks (5/5) in all of the areas assessed and the review included feedback from both patients and staff.

Patient feedback included:

“Thank you so much for your support. I have found strength I never realised I had, and you have given me hope and turned my life around. I am not lonely anymore and you have helped me make friends in the same position as me.”

“I do feel if you had not been there to talk to I would have fallen apart.”

“I felt so alone in my diagnosis. The course made me feel less alone and that my feelings and fears were normal. It has improved my life by giving me skills to communicate and express myself better.”

“I no longer feel lonely, you have enabled me to take control, manage my fatigue and make friends for life.”

The centre also provides a valuable support for KGH cancer nurses as it helps them to refer patients on for further advice and support beyond clinical care itself.

Comments from staff included:

“As a breast care nurse specialist, I've found the new Macmillan centre at KGH an invaluable service for our patients. Signposting my patients there for support groups and also for additional support following their clinic appointment. The atmosphere in the centre is calm and peaceful. We feel very privileged and lucky to have this amazing resource at our hospital.”

Macmillan Psycho-oncology Service – “The centre has transformed the experience for patients receiving psychological input.  Previously they were often seen in clinic or quiet rooms where they had sometimes been given their cancer diagnosis which meant some patients felt anxious or were re-traumatised when coming for psychology sessions. In contrast, the centre has created rooms and a space where patients feel much more comfortable and relaxed and almost all have commented that they much prefer coming to the centre. “

Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service Lead Danielle Mellows, who runs the centre with the support of volunteers, said: “We are delighted to have achieved the quality mark. I hope it demonstrates just how hard we have worked to develop the centre to meet the needs of our patients.

“Our aim is to provide practical, emotional, and financial support for people living with cancer. We do this through support groups, a welfare benefits clinic, a walking group, a wig-fitting service, and with workshops on well-being and alternative therapies.

“We provide our information and support in a calm and relaxing environment to look after the needs of people living with cancer and their families.”

Macmillan Head of Nursing for Cancer Ruth Giles said: “I am proud and delighted that Danielle and her team have achieved this quality mark – the only one of its kind in the UK for cancer - which reflects the amazing environment and fabulous services that have been created for patients and their loved ones".

“The quality mark is a tribute to the service provided by the team as well as demonstrating just how much this centre was needed and how valuable it is to people living with cancer.”

Lead Cancer Clinician, Prof Andrew Chilton, said: “Congratulations to all of the team. This is great achievement and demonstrates that the service the centre provides is second to none. If people need to use the support centre they can be assured they will be in good hands.”

Rachel Atkinson, Macmillan Partnership Manager – Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire - said: “This is great news! A fantastic achievement and well done to everyone involved.

“These assessments are very thorough and carried out by an external assessor and a patient representative. I am so pleased the Kettering support centre has done so well.”

What the centre does

The Macmillan Cancer Information Centre at KGH was shaped by local people living with cancer and brings together a range of vital cancer information and support services under one roof.

The new centre fills a much-needed gap in support for the 24,000 people living with and beyond cancer in Northamptonshire and is located near the hospital's main entrance.

It is open Monday – Friday, 9am until 4pm. No appointment is needed. You can also contact the centre on 01536 493888 or email kgh-tr.cancerinfo@nhs.net. Alternatively you can call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk

KGH also get great online reviews for cancer care

Other good news on the cancer experience at KGH has been revealed in recent research by the East Midlands Cancer Alliance.

The research involved carrying out an online review which looked at comments on review sites, social media, and other sites, about organisations involved in cancer care in the East Midlands.

KGH was the highest performing hospital in the region with an overall score of 4.7 out of a maximum of 5 for the services it provides.