CancerBACUP merged with Macmillan Cancer Support in 2008, changing its name to CancerBackup. It provides cancer informatrion and cancer support, largely confined to orthodox treatments.
They have won several major awards, including one for their telephone helpline and for one of their patient information booklets.
CancerBACKUP provide advice and information on cancer treatment, symptoms and diagnosis. Their website has now been taken over by Macmillan and can be found at www.macmillan.org.uk. They offer up to date information, although not as comprehensive as CANCERactive, nor covering as many topics. Research by Macmillan in 2006/7 criticised such sites for being full of ´Doctorspeak´ rather than ´Patientspeak´.
Their cancer support service, operating by telephone, e-mail and letter, helps over 50,000 cancer patients and their families per year. They have local centres in hospitals throughout the UK, through Macmillan now..
In May 1984 Dr Vicky Clement-Jones decided to ´Kick cancer out of the closet´ and created an organisation to combat the ´conspiracy of silence´ prevailing at the time.By October 1984 she held the first working party meeting at St Bart´s Hospital for the ´British Association of Cancer United Patients´ and their families and friends
One year later, four cancer information nurses were available on the telephone, and a year later the news journal arrived. By this time the nurses were handling 60 calls per day. Currently the fully trained nurses can answer up to 80 calls per day and 20 letters. They are backed by doctors, specialists and a large information centre
BACKUP produces approximately 60 booklets and over a hundred fact sheets, which are used by patients, hospitals and health workers. The state of the art website has answers to patients´ most common questions divided by cancer type, and contains a separate section for health workers. Shortly BACKUP will be introducing an access to services developed for minority ethnic groups
Services are free, and BACKUP is a charity requiring financial support should you care to contribute
Enquiries should really go straight to Macmillan now since ther takeover.
|