Middlesbrough cancer support charity welcomes national plan
The Government's National Cancer Plan will be fully unveiled today
A cancer support charity in Middlesbrough say they're delighted there's going to be a dedicated cancer plan for England which is being unveiled later.
It comes after yesterday's news that families of cancer patients under the age of 24 in England will have their hospital travel costs paid for by the government, regardless of income.
It's part of a wider package, which'll also see improvements to testing and diagnosis - and a better range of food, including outside mealtimes.
Michelle Holmes, Centre Head at Maggie’s Middlesbrough, said: "We want Maggie's model of support to be embedded in the NHS cancer pathway and while we know medical treatment and a timely diagnosis is very important, people's lives are turned upside down by a diagnosis. It impacts on their work, their finances, relationships and mental health.
"Our polling tells us people consider the emotional impact of cancer to be as great as the physical impact and four fifths of people consider it as important so it should be prioritised in cancer care.
"It's not just the person with cancer who's going through the diagnosis and all of the impact that that brings. It's the whole family that goes through the diagnosis and the cancer journey with them.
"Quite often you'll see the people supporting the person with cancer needs just as much support as the person with cancer sometimes. We rely on these people to look after the person with cancer in their communities so it's vital that we support them too.
"People often find that it's a rela hardship on their expenses. We do run workshops and courses and it's good for people with cancer and their friends. I mean we save the NHS £10m a year already and if that could be put back into helping people with transport costs and things, then that's fantastic.
"We want to work even closer with the NHS for the benefit of our patients to deliver sessions for people with cancer. We generally want people living with and beyond cancer to be a key part of that plan with emotional and practical support at every stage prioritised for people with cancer.