NHS cuts 'beggar belief' as 'vital' cancer support is threatened

A Wirral cancer support charity is preparing to fight back as it’s set to see its NHS funding cut by a third. The cuts are among many expected to be made by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside in order to balance the books.

The Holistic Cancer Centre in Claughton, Wirral began life in 1988 at St Catherine’s Hospital in Tranmere. It now offers a number of different therapies for people with cancer, including classes, acupuncture, counselling, aromatherapy and other all-round care like nutritional advice.

The charity has always received NHS funding to support thousands of sessions, its shop in Moreton, 40 volunteers, and 10 paid members of staff. However a letter sent from Simon Banks on October 14, the Wirral Place Director for the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB), said they would be cutting nearly £44,000 of funding on January 14.

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Mr Banks said the ICB needs to find £65m this financial year due to an overspend - with £15m of this being in Wirral. He said a review of services meant they were having to “undertake a series of difficult decisions” to cut funding.

The letter said: “The financial challenge is daunting and all ICB staff remain committed to securing the best value for money services for parents, but that must be achieved within the available resources to guarantee sustainability of core NHS services.”

The funding for the cancer centre goes towards assessments that look at a patient’s whole needs including the impact of cancer on their physical and emotional health, loss of earnings if people have to stop work, as well as support for families. While the charity gets donations for specific classes like its arts or men’s group, the NHS funding helps support a broad range of services.

At the moment, these services are free with a suggested £5 donation. However with funding being cut, the charity has looked at whether this may have to increase.

Mike O’Callaghan is among those supported by the charity. He was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2021 after blood tests but didn’t know about the Holistic Cancer Centre until a year later. He said the support he got while being treated was brilliant.

He said: “This just worked really well for me. The general support, now I have had the treatments both mentally and physically, I think I feel at home here. If you do need support and you have a problem, you just come in or ring up. They will just do whatever they can to help.”

“The things that helped most was being able to talk to people who have had similar experiences. It might be a different cancer but a lot of the issues are the same.”

Other people had the same experience as Mike. June Williamson said the treatment from the centre had allowed her to make some really great friends and share her thoughts making her feel more positive. She felt the cuts would be a loss to the local community.

Karen Dunn said her diagnosis was traumatic and a real shock but now, she attends the art class. She told the ECHO: “I never thought I would do anything like this before but it just switches my mind off. You just stop thinking about things all the time meeting friends and learning something you never dreamed of.”

Patsy Hummerston, the centre’s manager, said that if the funding is cut, she said they would have to shorten the hours they’re open. She said: “It will have an impact. We are thinking around it and we have ways and means but it will impact how many people we can support,” adding: “When you see it and see what we deliver, I think it’s a bit short-sighted.”

“One of the things about the NHS is they have built this service and now they are just going to take it away. You have built this over all these years and now you are going to give up on it now. It just beggars belief.”

The centre has been seeking political support with a recent visit by Wirral’s deputy mayor Cllr Brian Kenny and an upcoming visit by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram. Cllr Kenny told the ECHO: “There is no doubt that the services they provide are vital to many people, who are very much in need of positive inspiration in their life.

“Society should always be able to find a way of providing such essential services. Sadly, I understand that the Centre is faced with the real possibility of financial cuts.

“Such cuts would certainly have a major impact upon the services provided. That, in practice, would mean that individuals would suffer.”

He said the centre deserved full support against any proposed cuts, adding: “I would urge everyone concerned to ensure that full and appropriate funding is provided, in order that the fantastic services currently provided at the Centre can be not only maintained, but also enhanced, if at all possible.”

A spokesperson for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said: “Like Integrated Care Boards across the country, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside faces a very challenging financial outlook this year – with demand for services and inflationary cost pressures rising faster than budgets. In this context, we have had to make the difficult decision to not allocate further funding to the Holistic Cancer Centre.

“Whilst we understand that this decision will cause concern to those who provide and use the service, we’re committed to continuing to work with local partners to ensure effective cancer care and support is provided to Wirral residents.”