We can help you take back control
HOPE is a course developed by Macmillan Cancer Support and Coventry University to support you after cancer treatment. Each course is run by a health and social care professional and a trained volunteer who has a personal experience of cancer.
You can share your experiences and get support from other people going through the same thing. It helps strengthen your coping skills for dealing with different problems like anxiety, fatigue and concerns for the future. So you can feel more like yourself again.
HOPE can help you:
- regain your confidence so you feel more like yourself
- use relaxation techniques for your mind and body
- cope with anger, anxiety, depression and uncertainty
- handle stressful situations
- plan for your future
- use your potential to make the most of your life
Feedback from previous HOPE course
“New friendships with people that understand my journey.”
“Meeting new people, feeling listened too, able to open up and be honest.”
“It can help you to see a future! You may learn courage, resilience and awareness.”
HOPE is a free six seek course and each session runs for two and a half hours (usually on the same day and time each week).
- Healthworks, Paradise Lane, Easington – Tuesdays 29 April to 3 June, 10am to 12:30pm
- Chester le Street Community Hospital – Wednesdays 23 April to 28 May, 9am to 12:30pm
How to Book
For details and to book a place contact Macmillan Information & Support Centre on
☎ 01388 455231 | ✉ [email protected]
Find more information on the HOPE course leaflet here.
Joining the Dots Co-ordinator Claire Welsh has been named as Star Award winner in the category of Respect and Dignity in the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust Star Awards ceremony.
Nominations were invited for staff in the trust who fulfilled the requirements for the Respect and Dignity award which included: Showing respect and dignity at the heart of all they do. An individual who leads by example in the way they value every person, patients, families, carers or colleagues. Someone who respects difference and understands and respects that we each have limitations and who is interested in the needs of others, treating people as valued individuals.
Claire’s nomination stated: “Whether working with a client or supporting her own staff team, Claire goes above and beyond to ensure dignity and respect is given across every area of her work; inspiring others to do the same. A client had informed Claire about poor patient care during a recent hospital stay, which resulted in the patient declaring they would no longer attend the hospital or call an ambulance if they became unwell but didn’t want to raise an official complaint. Claire sought advice and worked with Freedom to Speak Up Guardian to address the situation so that future patient experience would be a positive one. She encourages her staff team and those around her to speak up for clients who may not otherwise have a voice. She is an inspiration and I believe she should be recognised for her hard work and motivation to uphold dignity and respect.”
Well done to Claire for winning this award and providing the best possible quality of care while being respectful and treating people as valued individuals.
Joining the Dots – Chloe Shaw and Kelly Turnbull, Macmillan Chief Finance and Operations Officer – Karen Watson, Joining the Dots – Claire Welsh, Macmillan Chief Executive Officer – Gemma Peters, Macmillan Executive Director of Advocacy and Communications – Steven McIntosh
The County Durham Macmillan Joining the Dots team welcomed Gemma Peters, Chief Executive Officer of Macmillan and her Senior Leadership Team recently to showcase their exceptional work with people who have a cancer diagnosis; supporting them to access the help they need, when they need it.
The team here at Joining the Dots offer support and information around family and relationships, physical quality of life, lifestyle changes, emotional wellbeing, spiritual and religious links as well as practical and financial guidance and aim to ‘join the dots’ between other vital clinical and practical services. As well as supporting clients with a cancer diagnosis, we also work with those directly affected such as family members, friends and colleagues. Since 2018 they have supported over 3,400 people directly affected by cancer.
Gemma Peters, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support said: “I would like to thank Joining the Dots for inviting me to come and see first-hand the amazing work they are doing in the North East. Their commitment to supporting their communities which are facing some of the poorest cancer outcomes in the UK is extraordinary.
“We are looking forward to working in partnership with them, their communities and Macmillan professionals across primary and secondary care to develop and test solutions which will make a difference because it doesn’t have to be this way.”
Keen to explain why the project has gone from strength to strength in County Durham, Joining the Dots Coordinator, Chloe Shaw, said: “Our Facilitators have a unique skillset and huge local knowledge, and their clients’ needs are at the very core of what they deliver. Each client has a Holistic Needs Assessment carried out to help us determine what support they need. Our team’s strength lies in understanding that their clients’ needs may change and that often they don’t know what support is available until they start this conversation.”
The Joining the Dots team also deliver the Help to Overcome Problems Effectively (HOPE) course which has been developed by Macmillan Cancer Support and Coventry University and is offered to clients after cancer treatment. Gemma and her Senior Leadership Team had the pleasure of meeting three clients who gave a powerful account of the unique nature of the support they received from Joining the Dots and the HOPE course they attended. They discussed that they hadn’t realised they would need extra support once their cancer treatment was over and how they each benefitted in different ways from the course, which they continue to effectively apply in their daily lives.
One client said: “I was unable to talk to my family about how I felt or what I was going through, I didn’t want to moan. The HOPE course allowed me to meet with other people who had been through similar experiences and who understood what I was going through. We’ve all stayed in touch since the course and continue to support each other.”
Speaking about the day Vicki Moffat, Joining the Dots Programme Manager said: “I am immensely proud of the Joining the Dots team for their dedication to providing a caring, compassionate and tailored service to their clients. They are the reason Joining the Dots continues to provide such dynamic support for people living with and beyond cancer. I also want to thank Gemma and her team for making the time to meet the team and to listen to our clients’ stories.”