Who are we?
Worcestershire Breast Unit Haven, the only breast cancer charity in Worcestershire, is now seven years old. The charity was set up to support all patients diagnosed with breast cancer in Worcestershire, following on from the amazing work of the Worcestershire Breast Unit campaign. The campaign spanning 2009 to the end of January 2016 succeeded in raising the £1.5 million to fund the build of the Breast Unit, providing a peaceful and comfortable environment for patients at a stressful time.
The Worcestershire Breast Unit is a standalone building set in beautiful gardens on the Worcester Royal Hospital site, where our charity team works closely with the specialist NHS Breast Care Clinical team led by Steven Thrush, Breast Consultant Surgeon and one of our charity Trustees. Please click here to find out more about the Breast Unit.
Our Unit is recognised by clinicians as one of the leading breast units in the UK, providing clinical services and assistance over and above those that the NHS can fund or offer. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women – affecting one in 7 UK women, as well as one in 800 UK men. This statistic makes the work of our fabulous Breast Unit ever more important and means that fundraising done by the Worcestershire Breast Unit Haven charity is absolutely vital.
Our charity aim is to make the Worcestershire Breast Unit one of the best units in the UK, providing the best possible care in the best possible environment.
What support do we fund and offer?
As a charity, there are two key things that we do.
We work very closely with the NHS Breast Clinical Teams to ensure we can provide clinical services and assistance over and above what the NHS is able to provide. Some of the most recent examples include:
- Funding the role of a Metastatic Breast Care Nurse for 2 years (to be named a Kate Nurse in memory and celebration of the incredible Kate Butler
- Breast Care Nurse business cards – a professional and discreet added strand of communication
- Mastectomy bras – comfortable, supportive bras are available for those in need post-surgery. A good quality mastectomy bras costs approximately £40.
- Continuous development and ongoing care of the Breast Unit garden to create a relaxing space for patients and their families to enjoy while waiting for appointments
- Four compact portable ultrasound machines costing in combination £18,000 – By offering increased flexibility as to where consultations can take place and how breast disease can be detected, the cutting edge technology in these machines allows the Worcestershire Breast Unit consultants the ability to reach more patients across the county.
- Support Literature (including ‘Mummy’s found a lump’)
- Specialist support boxes for children – to explain about breast cancer at an age appropriate level
We also provide and offer support to patients whether newly diagnosed, undergoing treatment, or having finished treatment. Our support services now include practical and physical activities to assist in living with breast cancer and recovery. To date these activities include Nordic Walking, Mindfulness & Relaxation, Look Good Feel Better, Pink Ribbon Pilates, 5K Your Way, a Gym based exercise class with a personal trainer experienced in cancer rehab, Nutrition after breast cancer course, a Support Group and a Craft and Gardening group. We have included some more information below about some of our most popular activities. If you’d like to find out more information regarding any of the above, please do contact us on the office number 01905 733 786 or email Jacquie on jacquie.clements@nhs.net
Support group
We run our own friendly & inclusive support group open to anyone whether newly diagnosed, undergoing treatment or have finished treatment. This consists of a private w
hatsapp group and monthly drop in meetings which take place on the last Friday of every month, 11am – 2:30pm at the Bevere Gallery Café Community area (WR3 7RQ). Drop in for a chat & refreshments funded by the WBUH Charity.
We can also recommend other local support groups within the county (Malvern Breast Cancer Support Group, Bosom Friends Bromsgrove & Redditch and Bosom Buddies Kidderminster) which may be closer to you. For more information, please contact Jacquie Clements on jacquie.clements@nhs.net or 01905 733 786.
Look Good Feel Better
We work closely with Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) to offer their two-hour masterclass sessions every other month at the Breast Unit. These sessions are a free of charge, confidence boosting two-hour skincare and make-up workshop for women undergoing treatment from any cancer. Led by LGFB beauty volunteers, the sessions are an opportunity to meet others in a similar situation whilst being taught vital skills such as how to draw on missing eyebrows and apply eyelashes. If you’d like to find out more information and when the next dates are, you can either take a look through our events calendar here or call the charity office and speak to one of our team on 01905 733 786.
‘Live Life Well: Nutrition after Breast Cancer’ Course
We fund the University of Worcester ‘Live Life Well: Nutrition after Breast Cancer’ course; a 7 week course run by the University at the New Kildare Meeting Room in the Breast Unit. The course covers healthy eating and good nutrition. Feedback we have received from women who have previously attended the course has been fantastic and we are proud to be able to fund this unique and valuable programme. If you would like to find out more information and dates of the next programme, please contact one of our charity team on 01905 733 786.
Specialist Days with the Breast Care Clinical Team
We work closely with the entire team at the Breast Unit to offer the very best service; this includes offering specialist days at the Breast Unit. We run Wellbeing Mornings twice yearly, where we invite ladies diagnosed in the previous 18-24 months to the Unit to meet all
the local support groups available and to find out more about the support services on offer funded by the WBUH Charity. We also work closely with the breast care clinical team to offer Breast events for women with a Learning Disability, to welcome ladies into the Breast Unit at a quieter time, where they can meet the staff and understand more about how to look after their breasts.
All our care is free to patients.
We are an independent charity, entirely reliant on fundraising and grants from local Trusts. In order for Worcestershire Breast Unit charity to exist and meet the needs of local people, we need to raise in excess of £200,000 a year.
We know people in the county have been passionate about supporting the vision of the Breast Unit and made it their own by raising the funds over past years. As the Worcestershire Breast Unit move into its 7th year and beyond, it is vital to maintain and drive the vision forward to make sure that the Unit fulfils its potential to be the very best centre of care for the women and men who will visit it in the future.
Please click here to find out how you can support our fundraising.