IN PERSPECTIVE

  • Printer friendly view
 Monday, June 8, 2020 - 09:12

The enormous undertaking that is Cancer Relief

Cancer relief has been operating in the community for 37 years, acting as advocates for the community relating to cancer issues and service provisions. It was established in 1983 with "the purpose of setting up a palliative care service and possibly opening a hospice." In those days, palliative care as a medical specialty was unheard of in Gibraltar.

The idea was the brainchild of an Army Padre, Maureen Stansfield, and Mary Dolding. Lady Williams, wife of the then Governor, lent her full support contacting Dame Cisely Saunders, founder of the UK hospice movement. As a result of this a palliative care specialist, Dr Fisher, came to Gibraltar to advise the local group.

In 2013 the charity moved to a colonial building in South Barracks thanks to a lease granted by the government. This allowed for an expansion of services utilized today.

Cancer Relief also works alongside and with “GHA services as part of Gibraltar's cancer and palliative care system. Currently we care for over 340 patients and carers in a variety of ways across the 14 services we offer. Our greatest resources are our professional nursing services, known as our Centre Team (Charity Funded) and our Community Hospice Outreach Team (HOS) (Government Funded)”.

The two teams care for the most vulnerable in our community, providing "compassionate patient-centred holistic care, from diagnosis, throughout treatment, right up to and including end of life care or ongoing support helping people to live well with and beyond cancer”.

ONGOING CARE

Further, clinical teams provide ongoing care “to patients in symptom control issues, monitoring and assessment of their condition and treatment progress as well as providing vital emotional, psychological and socioeconomic support to them and their loved ones.

The Covid-19 situation has seen increases in anxiety from patients across the community. Cancer Relief is now needed more than ever in the face of the ongoing crisis. To deal with legislative restrictions, Cancer Relief have “modified as many of our therapeutic and complementary therapies as possible, according to public health requirements, so we could continue safely providing these essential support services to those who needed them”.

MORE IN PANORAMA PRINT EDITION

08-06-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR