Patients, healthcare staff and friends of the Outreach Chemotherapy Service will be coming together on Wednesday 25 January 2012 to celebrate the service’s first anniversary.
Outreach chemotherapy is an extension of the chemotherapy unit at Derriford Hospital and since its launch in January 2011, patients who live within the Kingsbridge, Tavistock and Liskeard area and whom are eligible for outreach chemotherapy, have been able to receive treatment and support closer to their homes by fully qualified outreach nurses.
To illustrate the partnership between the three locations, patients, healthcare staff and friends of the service will travel to each location by unique forms of transports. These will travel alongside a new dedicated chemotherapy van, which thanks to the generosity of Salcombe businessman, Brian Lavender and his business colleagues from Hannafords Landing in Island Street, Salcombe. was kindly donated for the use of staff.
Events will be held at different times throughout the day on Wednesday 25th January 2012 in Liskeard, Tavistock and Kingsbridge. There will be a balloon launch, the presence of a Town Crier and Lord Mayor, speeches and refreshments.
At 11:00am representatives will travel to the celebrations at Liskeard Community Hospital by tractor. They will then move on to Tavistock, where they will travel to St. Eustachius’ Church by horse and trap for 1:00pm. The celebrations will proceed to the final stop in Kingsbridge, where fundraiser, Tristan Stone, who has played a fundamental role in fundraising for the Outreach Service in South Hams, will travel by water from East Portlemouth to Salcombe, where he will be ferried on to South Hams Hospital, run by Torbay Care Trust, in the new chemotherapy van.
Lee Johns, Directorate Manager for Oncology and Blood for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted with the service, the overwhelming support and the response we have received from members of the local communities.
“I would to take this opportunity to thank them for their continuing and hugely successful fundraising efforts and support they have given to this service. I would particularly like to say a special thank you to the staff who have made it possible, to Jan Britten and Tristan Stone, who were instrumental in organising an extravaganza to raise funds for the service in South Hams and to fundraiser Debs Ward.”
David Radford, Chairman of NHS Devon, Plymouth and Torbay said: “It is great to see that people from the South Hams area are benefiting from this service.
“We would like to thank everyone in the local community who worked so hard to raise the necessary funds to make it possible for the service to run from their local hospital.”
The Outreach Chemotherapy Service also links up with the existing Triangle Support and Information Service, which offers support for patients, their families and carers.
Fundraising efforts are continuing in all of the areas to support this exciting service. If anyone wishes to get involved or would like to plan an event, please contact the Debs Ward, Fundraiser, on 07929 969244. Donations can also be made payable on line at www.chemooutreachproject.co.uk or by cheque made payable to the Chemotherapy Outreach Fund TF1286 and sent to any one of the Triangle Centres at Liskeard, Tavistock or Kingsbridge.
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Background
The Triangle Support and Information Service is a drop in service for cancer patients, their families and carers offering support, information, financial advice, complementary therapies and counselling. The service, staffed by professionals and trained volunteers, provides a friendly and welcoming environment where you can share your concerns, ask questions and receive support and information for people living with and beyond cancer.
The service works closely with the Mustard Tree Macmillan Centre and the staff at Derriford and other hospitals in the region. Contact numbers are:
Kingsbridge 01548 852349 Tuesdays 10-4
Liskeard 01579 335628 Thursdays 10-4
Tavistock 01822 615935 Fridays 10-4
In summer 2010, a local independent charitable fund was set up to enable patients who would usually have to travel to Derriford Hospital for chemotherapy to receive their treatment closer to home. Known as ‘The Chemotherapy Outreach Project’, the fund was set up by local family friends Jan Britten and Tristan Stone. Their project was inspired by a number of relatives and friends of Tristan and Jan who over the years have needed cancer treatment and would have benefited from a chemotherapy outreach service.
They hosted a tropically-themed dinner and auction of a number of very special items (including a dress donated and signed by Tina Turner and guitars signed by Status Quo, David Cassidy and Cliff Richard and the Shadows). In addition the local Kingsbridge community inspired by Debs Ward, a young single mum who had herself received chemotherapy took this project to their hearts and involved themselves in numerous events including duck races, bingo, coffee mornings, choirs, carol services and many more to ensure the success of the service.
The £80,000 raised secured a dedicated nursing team which commenced services at Kingsbridge, Tavistock and Liskeard in January 2011 and has in the first year delivered more than 850 treatments. Future events are planned to ensure the continuation of this invaluable service.