NEWS

21 July 2011 by CUBE

West Mid staff and patients join to raise cancer awareness

Last week West Mid’s cancer user group, CUBE (Cancer, Understanding by Experience) held a sunshine-filled event at the Mulberry Centre to promote the latest achievements of the group which works closely in collaboration with hospital management, to enhance West Mid’s cancer services.
 
The lunchtime gathering was attended by service users, hospital clinicians and management, as well as MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston, Zac Goldsmith. It was held in the pristine gardens of the Mulberry Centre, a drop-in centre located at West Mid to support anyone affected by cancer. It is funded entirely from charitable donations.
 
CUBE was set up in 2008 by Natashia Cedeno, a Macmillan Nurse at West Mid. The group enables patients to work in partnership with heath professionals, as well as offering an opportunity for past patients, who have experienced cancer, to meet others who have often gone through similar challenges.  
 

Founder, Macmillan Nurse Natashia Cedeno said “CUBE is really important to the hospital because we open up channels for people who would like to express their views, in terms of cancer and their treatment.”
 
Zac Goldsmith said: “I think it’s very important the hospital has formal mechanisms, such as the CUBE user group, for getting honest and robust feedback from its patients. It’s clear there’s a really healthy and constructive tension between CUBE and the hospital; which can only be a good thing in terms of improving treatment. I have to say, generally speaking, the feedback I receive from my constituency about West Mid is always positive. Whatever the formula is – it seems to be working. The Mulberry Centre, which hosted the event, is very impressive and clearly much appreciated by patients who have experienced the effects of cancer.”

Dame Jacqueline Docherty, Chief Executive at West Mid added “There’s real value in having a group such as CUBE who, through their practical experience, can help the Trust make real and lasting improvements to the ongoing care of patients. We are indebted to them for their continued support.”
 

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Notes to Editors:

For further information, photos or to arrange an interview, please contact the communications team on 020 8321 6342.West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust is a major acute hospital near Twickenham, West London. It provides a full range of services to residents of the London Boroughs of Hounslow, and Richmond upon Thames. Our imperative is to meet the changing needs of our local community through genuine commitment to providing high quality care in every respect. For more information, please visit our website at www.west-middlesex-hospital.nhs.uk <http://www.west-middlesex-hospital.nhs.uk/>
 
Want to give up smoking or help your patients to give up?
Contact the Stop Smoking Service based at West Middlesex Hospital on 0208 321 5188,
Hounslow Service 0845 111 0155 or Kingston & Richmond Service on 0800 085 2903