Macmillan’s Public Affairs Team is now back in the office following our foray to the Liberal Democrat Party Conference. After taking a day to catch-up on the work waiting for me here, I wanted to take some time to blog about Tuesday’s events in Liverpool…
The day started with what can only be described as a VIP moment - The Minister of State for Health, Paul Burstow MP, kindly took some time out of his busy conference schedule to visit the Macmillan Information and Support Centre at the Liverpool Royal Hospital. Ciarán, Macmillan’s Chief Executive, and I went along to meet and greet the Minister at the hospital and were lucky enough to also get a tour of this fantastic service.
As well as chatting to Macmillan information and Support staff about the work they do and to people affected by cancer about how the service has helped them, the Minister used the visit to announce £9 million of Department of Health funding for local advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of bowel, breast and lung cancer. All-in-all a great trip!
After a few hours of listening to debates and immersing ourselves in the conference atmosphere, it was our turn to deliver our message to conference goers at our joint fringe event with Breast Cancer Care and The Prostate Cancer Charity.
What’s next for cancer survivors: aftercare that works for all is an interactive, Question Time style event we’re taking to all three conferences to get across to politicians and party members how important it is to support people living with and after cancer.
The three charities had an all star panel in Liverpool – John Neate from The Prostate Cancer Charity, Paul Trevatt who’s a Macmillan Network Nurse Director, Sue Kernaghan, a cancer survivor, and… the Minister of State for Health, Paul Burstow MP, who took yet more time out from his hectic diary to discuss those issues that really matter to cancer patients and their families.
The event was a real success, under the expert chairmanship of Victoria Lambert, a free lance journalist who writes for The Daily Mail and The Telegraph.
Excitingly, we heard from the Minister how important aftercare for cancer patients is to the coalition Government. However, the main point of the session was to get the panel and audience to vote on the one positive change they want to see the Government ensure for cancer survivors in the space this Parliament.
John Neate called for a commitment to more research into survivorship, whilst Paul Trevatt wants more key workers, such as Clinical Nurse Specialists, to be put in place to help cancer patients during and after active treatment. Paul Burstow MP said for him it was all about shifting the NHS to an outcomes focused system. But the clear winner with the audience was the suggestion from cancer survivor, Sue Kernaghan, that people living with and after cancer must have more support with their emotional and psychological needs.
You may not have been there on the day, but that shouldn’t stop you joining in the debate…
What one change for cancer survivors would you like the Government to deliver in the next 5 years?
