Caroline's Blog

There was excitement in the air and a real buzz down on our teenage cancer unit last week- due to a very special visitor - at least for the red half of Manchester.  

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand came to make a short film about how our charity's partnership with the football club directly helps our patients. Their support includes funding a physiotherapist post. He was shown around the unit by one of our young patients Ryan Bartlett who recently raised £5,000 for our charity by convincing 39 of his family and friends to climb Ben Nevis with him.

Rio spent time talking to each patient finding out how important it is for them to be treated on a specialist unit and how having physiotherapy in a purpose-built gym is vital. It's visits like this which give a real boost to our young patients - at a time when they need it most.

It also re-affirmed to me how crucial it is that we build a new YOU for our young patients at The Christie. Building work is starting in December and this purpose-built centre has being designed around the needs of teenagers and their families. It will bring together world-class treatment, research and education to provide the best possible care for our young patients.

The unit will also be integrated with our new haematology and transplant unit because around half of young patients have haematological cancers and so they often have to receive specialist treatment within our HTU.

I'm not giving anything away when it comes to my footballing allegiances but if a visit from Rio can put a smile on the faces of our young patients then he certainly gets my support.

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This week marked another step forward for The Christie - building work started on the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC).

United with our partners in the MCRC - The University of Manchester and Cancer Research UK - we gathered to watch this ceremonial 'breaking the ground' milestone. Over the coming months we will see this exciting project develop literally on our doorstep.

Clinical studies and advancements carried out in this building will be fundamental in cancer research and will further strengthen Manchester's position as a leader in cancer research on a global level.

Armed with spades to officially 'break the ground' were two cancer patients - Stan, 73, and Amber. Stan Parker, a shining example of how research can help patients having been on a clinical trial here for six years, was chosen to start the 'digging'. Also lending a hand to kick start building work was nine-year-old Amber. Amber was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2009 and underwent over two years of chemotherapy at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

It's for people just like Stan and Amber who, in the future, will benefit from this development - as research undertaken in this building will directly impact on patients here at The Christie as well as nationally and globally.

From these foundations, I have no doubt, great things can be achieved

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There's something very satisfying about seeing something you have worked so hard on come to fruition - especially when it's the result of teamwork.

Working with our colleagues in the NHS Blood and Transplant team, today we officially opened a new photopheresis unit, adding another string to The Christie's bow. The three bed unit has been up and running successfully for a number of months and treats around nine patients a day.

As with many new developments and improvements in the NHS, the best results are often achieved through joint working. But it's our patients who remain at the heart of everything we do here and this service really will benefit hundreds of our cancer patients every year.

Photopheresis is a highly specialised process which involves using cutting-edge equipment to remove blood from a patient, treat white cells using ultraviolet light, and return the blood back into the body. With this specialist service here at our main site, patients from across the north west will not have to travel to a different place when they are already undergoing gruelling treatment for cancer. In particular the treatment benefits patients who may have suffered complications after stem cell or bone marrow transplants. It has very few side effects and can help to alleviate symptoms.

We constantly strive to make experiences better for our patients and this is a great example of how collaborative working within the NHS can make this happen.

I hope everyone at the unit feels part of our team.

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As an individual who sees some of the cruel side affects of smoking on a daily basis, Stoptober can only be a good thing for us.

A staggering eight million people in the UK smoke but now a mass media campaign is driving a nationwide quit for the month of October. 

Almost half way through the month, want-to-be quitters are being supported through the month with useful tips and advice.  Armed with a mobile app, regular motivational texts, facebook groups and much more, individuals are well placed to kick the habit with many others cheering them on.  After all, how much easier is something when you have positive support?

According to the Department of Health, smoking is the biggest cause of premature death in England and accounts for over 100,000 deaths in the UK each year. 

Government initiatives like this cannot make non smokers of us all instantly but any step we can take in this direction where we raise awareness of the dangers is certainly a positive move.

At The Christie we have a smoking cessation team which helps thousands of our patients and their families give up smoking every year.  They can offer tips and advice, and have helped so many people face their habit head on and deal with it.  I'd urge anyone that fancies having a go at quitting to visit the Stoptober website www.smokefree.nhs.uk/Stoptober and/or seek expert help.

Our charity runs a Give It Up challenge which is all about giving up absolutely anything for as long as you like to raise money for The Christie.  If you'd like to do this as a way of helping you quit, please download your own sponsorship pack here:

/the-christie-charity/get-involved/community-fundraising/give-it-up.aspx

Our smoking cessation service is available to patients and their families.  For further information contact: Peter Mackereth or Paula Maycock 0161 446 8236 or 918 7175, or visit /the-foundation-trust/patient-information/support-and-rehabilitation/complementary-therapies.aspx

For further support to quit smoking contact Manchester Stop Smoking Service on 0161 205 5998 or visit http://www.stopsmokingmanchester.co.uk/

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The days of whispering about the c-word are well and truly over.  Over time, we've become more comfortable talking to our friends, seeking medical help and opening up publicly about our experiences of cancer.

This shift in public behaviour has led to a greater understanding of cancer and the options available to patients.  Thanks to breakthroughs in cancer research, to me it seems that there's also more faith in medical expertise and as a result of this and increasing knowledge, individuals are starting to react more positively to the words 'clinical trial'.

One such patient is Emma Barnes, 36, who shared her experiences of her treatment for breast cancer with the media this week.  Emma started a trial of a drug T-DM1, which treats aggressive forms of breast cancer, and after responding well, the drug has significantly enhanced her quality of life.  This week she told the Manchester Evening News "I started on the drug in May 2010.  Without it I don't know where I'd be."   

Emma was given that chance through cancer research work taking place right here at The Christie and thanks to positive findings in the new study released this week, manufacturers now hope to apply for a UK license by the end of this year.

To think this trial took place here, along with many other major advances in new treatments, is fantastic.  

Breakthroughs and progress like this clearly demonstrate how much scope and potential there is and that more and more answers are just around the corner.

To read about Emma's story and the new treatment, please click on this link:

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1590172_new-christie-cancer-drug-t-dm1-stalls-breast-cancer-for-six-months

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I really look forward to taking part in our charity events - in just the last few years alone, I've ran a marathon, driven an old Ferguson tractor and held tightly onto a zip slide over Old Trafford.  Next week, we'll be hosting another spectacular fundraising event in the name of our charity ball.

Held at Lancashire County Cricket Club's The Point, the evening will not only feature fantastic entertainment and auction prizes, but also live performances from Jaz Ellington and Marcus Collins.

However much more importantly than who's singing and what to wear is what we are all there for in the first place.

As experts in cancer treatment, research and education, this event is in aid of our new haematology and transplant unit (HTU), specialising in treating people with cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma.  Our current HTU is close to capacity so with support from our charity we are developing a new centre which will be integrated with our teenage cancer unit.   I struggle to find the words to express how much this development will enhance our services and benefit the thousands of patients we treat a year.  It really is a major step forward for these two integral departments.

We have a range of packages to choose from so if you fancy joining us and would like to find out more about the very few tables that are left, please visit www.christies.org/charityball

It's going to be a superb evening.

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Driving a vintage tractor

In my job I'm lucky enough to experience new and different things every day. This week I got behind the wheel of a 1955 vintage tractor - certainly a first for me and certainly not something you would want to be driving for long.

Open to the elements and with a top speed of just 10mph, spare a thought for Fred Sullivan who has swapped his 125mph Virgin train for the said tractor and is riding it from John O' Groats to Lands End all in aid of The Christie.

It will take Fred and the team of fundraisers 14 days to complete the journey - and they called in at The Christie en route to a rousing reception from some of our patients and staff. I was delighted to be able to say a personal thank you to Fred, whose courage and determination is inspirational.

But behind the smiles, cheers and good luck messages is a father undertaking an enormous and difficult challenge - just weeks after losing his son Aaron to cancer.

Faced with traffic jams, breakdowns, driving wind and rain, Fred is finding the strength to continue on his journey to raise money for our teenage cancer unit where Aaron was treated.

The journey may be slow-going at times Fred but please know everyone at The Christie is behind you, every step of the way. It's an incredible thing you are doing for The Christie, thank you and best of luck for the rest of your journey.

We'll be rooting for you all the way to Lands End.

To find out more or to sponsor the team please visit www.justgiving.com/toptobottomtractorrun or http://www.top-to-bottom-tractor-run.co.uk/

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Yesterday I stood alongside two of our senior consultants Miss Sarah O'Dwyer and Professor Nick Slevin and unveiled our 20:20 Vision strategy.  Talking to a large audience at our Annual Members' Meeting, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride as we explained our hopes for the future.

The process has been a year long and has allowed us to gauge the views of our stakeholders and translate these into a plan that will lead us up to the year 2020.  Four integral themes are detailed in the strategy, under which we have identified some specific ambitions we hope to achieve in the years to come.

Despite us being a specialist cancer centre in treatment, research and education, much of this can only happen through collaboration.  Working in partnership, with NHS organisations and commissioning bodies with the valuable support of others, will allow us to lead the way in cancer treatments and improve the outcomes for cancer patients.

Our Chairman Lord Keith Bradley and I would like to thank everyone who has supported this process in establishing our new ambitions for the future.  We look forward to your support with our 20:20 Vision and I'm sure that together we can transform our patients' experiences of cancer.

Visit www.christie.nhs.uk/2020 to download the full document

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Many don't realise that I started my career on the wards as a midwife - a new fresh-faced NHS employee that couldn't wait to be patient facing and make a difference.  When I think back to those days, the realisation of how much treatment has moved on really hits me.  This evident progress is not simply due to technological advances and widened understanding, but rather the passion of healthcare experts across the UK.  And I am proud to be among them.

During the last seven years, I have been immersed in cancer treatment, research and education, and this progress also fills me with immense pride.  In the last seven years The Christie has achieved an incredible number of milestones, all of which will enhance the patient experience.  As a specialist cancer centre, a combination of improved educational endeavours and ever-increasing groundbreaking research has massively impacted treatment and care, and in turn the outcomes for cancer patients across the world.

However, the road has not always been smooth and all of the results achieved both at The Christie and nationally across the NHS could not have been reached without team work.  Today, with the NHS remaining firmly in the headlines and with a new way of working starting to evolve, collaboration has never been more important.

As is the case with many improvements and developments, the best results are often achieved with joint working and it is this collaborative approach that is the key to our future.  Our new 20:20 Vision strategy will be officially launched next month and the four themes that have emerged will largely depend on our experts and partners across the North West joining forces for one common goal - improving patient experience.  

To hear about our 20:20 Vision directly, The Christie's Annual Members' Meeting is on Thursday 13^th September at Manchester City Football Club's Etihad Stadium from 2pm.

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Being so involved, it's sometimes tricky to fully understand the external perception of The Christie.  In a nutshell, it is a specialist cancer centre that delivers cancer treatment, research and education.  But despite being quite a well-known name, to many it is not immediately clear what it is we actually do for patients and the wider cancer network.   And this is particularly the case when it comes to clinical trials. 

Opened in November 2010, our new Oak Road patient treatment centre offered a new home to our clinical trials research work and almost a year later we opened our first inpatient unit for patients being treated through a trial.  This significantly expanded our potential to carry out more clinical trials at any one time, which despite what many people think are not always the last resort.Our research work has not only allowed so many individuals to live a good quality life during their trial, but also resulted in many world-wide research breakthroughs.  Just one example of many was in 1970 when the world's first clinical use of Tamoxifen took place, a breast cancer drug now used to treat thousands of women a year.

To help improve everyone's understanding of this, we need to work with our key partners in promoting the crucial research work that is going on here in Manchester.  And Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC), in which we are partners with Cancer Research UK and The University of Manchester, is the perfect opportunity to educate others around the scale of research being undertaken and dismiss any misjudged perceptions around the topic of clinical trials.   The MCRC is a major step forward that will maximise our potential to benefit not just patients on our doorstep but across the world.

For more information on our research, please visit /research-division.aspx

Our charity regularly fundraises to support the clinical trials research work, all of which takes place at The Christie.  If you're interested in finding out how to get involved, please visit /the-christie-charity/get-in-touch.aspx

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