Pioneers in patient care: consultants leading change
North West
Innovation: CancerCare support network, offering holistic care for patients, carers and people who have been bereaved
Professor Malcolm McIllmurray
Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Lancaster
Job title: Professor of medical oncology
Speciality: Medical oncology
The CancerCare support network in Lancaster, Kendal and the South Lakes provides patients, carers and the bereaved with a way of dealing with the psychological impact of a life threatening illness, says Professor Malcolm McIllmurray who pioneered the holistic care network in 1985.
The network consists of two centres, five drop in-centres, an information service provided by the cancer charity BACUP and 40 therapists, whose services include counselling, aromatherapy, psycho-hypnotherapy and creative workshops. Over twelve thousand individual therapy sessions take place each year, says Professor McIllmurray.
“Our treatment of the patient is holistic and not simply disease-orientated. The network helps people with cancer, carers, and those who may have lost a loved one to the disease, feel less isolated. On a more practical level we can help with compliance, for example helping people to overcome needle phobias.
“The holistic approach also benefits staff. It makes the work of the specialist nurses more satisfying and manageable, and the network also has a valuable education function for staff.”
Professor McIllmurray says the increase in government spending has had an impact on his work, but the money fails to go far enough. “Drug costs are covered but there is very little left over for service development. The major part of funding for the network comes from the charity sector, if we were funded by the NHS, our network would demand less of existing statutory services. An increase in NHS funding would mean more staff which would make the support services available to many more people, possibly extending them to patients with illnesses other than cancer.”