Candidate Brieffor Head of Services

Candidate Brieffor Head of Services

Ref: HOS247

March 2016

Overview

Penny Brohn UK supports people living with the impact of cancer through lifestyle information, self-management tools and support.We provide our services free of charge, thanks to the charitable donations and voluntary contributions which fund our work. We also work in partnership with NHS Trusts and other health organisations to deliver some of our ‘Living Well’ courses.Our services are open to everybody over the age of 18 with a cancer diagnosis and their supporters.

The Bristol Whole Life Approach

The Bristol Whole Person Approach addresses the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual impact of cancerthrough a comprehensive programme that is designed to work alongside an individual’s medical treatment.We provide a range of services and courses which offer:

• Information and support
• Help with staying active and increasing physical activity
• Guidance on eating well
• Relaxation and Mindfulness
• One to one and group support
• Support with symptoms and side effects

In developing and delivering our services we draw upon our professional expertise; 35 years experience of supporting people with cancer; continuing service evaluation and evidence-informed materials.

The National Centre

The National Centre is a beautiful grade II listed building with a purpose-built extension, set in 4.5 acres of mature gardens. It is perfectly suited to the Charity's vision of creating a retreat atmosphere of peace and tranquillity in natural surroundings.

The Centre comprises17therapy rooms and 26 en-suite bedrooms, plus a demonstration kitchen and lecture theatre. The centrepiece of the building is a peaceful Sanctuary.

We offer a range of services including:

• Treatment Support Clinic
• Living Well courses
• One day courses
• Follow on residential courses
• Weekly groups
• Individual therapy appointments

The Penny Brohn Integrated Care Pathway of Services allows partners and commissioners to navigate our service provision.

In 2011 we embarked on an ambitious national development strategy – to offer our services away from Bristol and to come closer to fulfilling our mission that everyone should be able to access our services.

This new model of working, combined with a range of new partnerships, has been a huge shift for the organisation and has dramatically increased the number of people with cancer we are able to help every year.

Reaching out and the challenges ahead

There are currently more than two million people in the UK who have had a cancer diagnosis, many of whom are living with the long term effects of cancer and its treatment, including impaired physical health and emotional problems. To add to that, there are more than 352,000 people being diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year (Source: Cancer Research UK).

Our work is in great demand and we remain more determined than ever to reach as many as possible of those who need our services. We have developed our services to make sure that more people affected by cancer will have better and easier access to our life-changing support

Today, we are helping more people with cancer than at any time throughout our history. The Bristol Whole Life Approach is also increasingly being recognised by the NHS and other major healthcare providers as a practical, cost-effective and person-centred way of helping people with cancer.

Living Well National Programme

Living Well is our primaryservice through which clients can go on to access other support through Penny Brohn UK. The Living Well programme was developed within the vision of the National Cancer Survivorship initiative and is offered in a variety of settings across the UK as well as from our National Centre.The services offer an introduction to ourwholeperson approach to cancer. Support for the holistic needs of a person (ie all aspects of their experience) is increasingly recognised as vital for long term wellness in living with cancer.

The Living Well course is highlighted in the Government’s National Cancer Survivorship Initiative report 'Living with and Beyond Cancer: Taking Action to Improve Outcomes (March 2013)’.

Delivering Living Well nationally

Funding received from Walk the Walk has allowed us to roll out the Living Well programme nationally to five regional locations. These regional hubs have successfully developedLiving Well services in the North, Midlands, South West, London/South East and South Coast.

Living Well training programme

We have 41 fully trained Living Well Facilitators, 30 of whom are based away from our National Centre and deliver the courses in external locations. Each facilitator takes4-5 months to complete their training. Our Living Well facilitator training is externally accredited by a National awarding body.

Long term additional support following a Living Well course

We currently have a range of 'Follow Up' Services for those who attend a Living Well course. The need for these simple, additional sources of supportwere identifiedthrough the Living Well Evaluation (see below) to help participants maintain healthy lifestyle changes.

Health and Wellbeing Clinics

We are working with partners across the UK to runHealth and Wellbeing Clinics which we offer in response to the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative’s vision of the ‘Recovery Package’ for cancer patients. These half day courses are offered at the end of treatment in hospitals to help people live well with and beyond cancer.

Living Well Evaluation

Our Research & Evaluation team, together with Dr. Marie Polley from the University of Westminster conducted a long-term, in-depth service evaluation of our 'Living Well with the Impact of Cancer' course.

The aim of the evaluation was to measure the benefits that people received from the 'Living Well' course and to understand why people wanted and needed this kind of support.

The evaluation has had a significant impact on funding and partnership opportunities as we were able to show improvements in wellbeing and quality of life following attendance on a Living Well course.

Partnerships

We have a broad range of strategic partnerships which enable us to expand our work away from the National Centre. This has enabled more people to access supportive therapies in treatment settings. These include Genesis Care UK, Macmillan Cancer Support and NHS Partners.

We continue to run partnership courses specifically for certain types of cancer e.g. breast, prostate, head and neck, testicular, colo-rectal.

Fundraising and additional funding

The work and success of our Fundraising Departmenthas developed substantially in recent years despite the economic downturn. We have an exciting and ambitious programme of voluntary fundraising in place across a wide range of income streams: Trusts, Major Gifts, Individual Giving, Statutory, Legacies, Events, Corporate and Community fundraising.

We are incredibly fortunate that Walk the Walk continue to support us, as they have done for a number of years. Led by Founder and Chief Executive Nina Barough CBE, they have been instrumental in helping us to increase the range and volume of services offered to people with cancer.

We are also building on the significant opportunities for Penny Brohn UK to increase its funding through new NHS commissioning arrangements and other potential partnerships. We are constantly seeking to do more to attract new sources of funding – all with the aim of sustaining both full National Centre working and further national growth.

Where are we operating?

1