Cancer support shared with Northampton residents at Next Steps event

Residents living with cancer were offered information and support at a Next Steps event delivered by Northampton General Hospital in partnership with Macmillan and Delapré Abbey.

Next Steps provides advice and guidance to patients who have finished, or are nearing the end of, their treatment and are moving onto the University of Northamptonshire’s (UHN’s) remoting monitoring support service.

Through remote monitoring, patients receive personalised follow-ups under the clinical team, as well as ongoing reassurance that someone is available to talk to if they have any questions or concerns post-treatment. The support on offer was well received at the event on October 13.

Neil Holliday, 80, attended the event following radiotherapy for prostate cancer. He said: “There can be some anxiety when you come to the end of your treatment, so it is reassuring to know that Macmillan and Northampton General Hospital continue to provide support through their remote monitoring service and sessions such as Next Steps. The event covered a range of information and there was something for everyone to take away.”

Rachel Cox, Macmillan Information and Support Centre Lead based in Northampton General Hospital, said: “Even after treatment, people can feel the effects of cancer, whether this is financially, emotionally or physically. Alongside the hospital’s remote monitoring service, these Next Steps sessions provide information on the range of ongoing support that is available. It is a forum where patients can listen to experts and obtain the advice they need.”

The Next Steps event was divided into separate sessions throughout the day, tailored to prostate, breast and colorectal cancer patients. Each session featured presentations by clinical nurse specialists, hospital clinicians and local providers such as the cancer exercise referral programme, We CAN-Move.

The event was kindly hosted for free by Delapré Abbey in their library and adjoining function room. Yasmin Keenan, Wellbeing Manager at Delapré Abbey, said: “We were delighted to provide space for Macmillan and Northampton General Hospital’s Next Steps event.

“The care and support their teams offer to people following cancer treatment is so valuable. We were pleased to play a small part in helping them bring that guidance and reassurance to our local community.”

Other Macmillan events held at Delapré Abbey include yoga and weekly wellbeing walks for anyone affected by cancer. For details, please contact the Macmillan Information and Support Centre on 01604 544211, drop into the centre or visit our events page.