New cancer therapy service for Mid-Wales and Shropshire

A new therapy service which will bring benefits to patients being treated for cancer in Mid-Wales, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin has been launched.

The Macmillan Integrated Therapy Service (MITS) aims to deliver integrated, efficient and appropriate therapy to patients with complex needs.

The new integrated therapy service is provided by the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford in collaboration with Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust.

MITS, which is a partnership between Macmillan Cancer Support, The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (which runs the RSH and PRH) and Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust, is a team of Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Dietitians and Speech and Language Therapists. The team also includes Assistant Practitioners who support the delivery of care to people living with cancer.

The Service works closely with other healthcare professionals, social services and voluntary organisations, to ensure that patients receive effective treatment and coordinated care in an appropriate location.

The new integrated service has been modelled to ensure that patients receive continuity in their care when they move from an acute hospital into the community or back into their own home. This will provide a better experience for the patient and make sure they are getting the best possible support wherever they are.

All senior members of the team will cover both the RSH and PRH sites as part of the service, which launched last month. In the future the intention is to extend the service to people living with cancer in the community.

Tudor Humphreys, Macmillan Development Manager, said: “Macmillan are committed to ensuring that people affected by cancer are given the right support, at the right time, in the right place for them. We put the patient at the heart of our work and the new Macmillan Integrated Therapy Service is a reflection of that.

“This new service model is focused on providing specialist care to patients with cancer and working more closely with community services to share expertise, which will ensure all patients receive better quality, coordinated and equitable care.

“We look forward to seeing patients benefit from the ongoing development of the service and our continued partnership with The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust.”

Lorraine Eades, Therapy Care Group Centre Manager for Care Closer to Home at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “The main aim of MITS is to be a specialist resource for cancer related therapy, supporting all therapists and other professional groups at the Trust and Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust.

“The service will provide care for people with complex therapy needs. The new service model will be supported by two additional Macmillan-funded Assistant Practitioner posts. The next stage of introducing the service will see the model rolling out to provide care for patients within the community, and delivering ongoing education and support to therapy colleagues and other healthcare professionals.”