1. Complementary Health & Wellbeing Service
Anita Mehrez Anita Deputy Clinical Lead

3. What I want to share with you..
Definition of complementary therapies
Overview services available to:
Patients
Carers
Staff

5. Definition of Complementary Therapies
Complementary medicine is a group of diagnostic and therapeutic disciplines used alongside conventional medicine to provide supportive care e.g. touch therapies, visualisation, acupuncture.
Does not at our trust, include oral therapies such as homeopathy or herbal medicine
(Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine, e.g. eating a special diet to treat cancer instead of undergoing conventional treatment recommended by a physician)

7. The Christie Team Clinical Lead Nurse 2 deputy clinical leads
27 sessional therapists
8 volunteers
Sessional work funded by income generation, donations, charitable bids/fundraising events & income from courses

9. How can we support you?
Early Prevention – Stress Management techniques (supporting Smoking Cessation & Alcohol reduction support)
Detection – Enhancing Self Care,
Stress Management etc
Treatment – XRT, Chemo, Wards, Pre-Op
Living with and Beyond – ‘Drop in’, acupuncture (treatment related symptoms
eg. fatigue, neuropathy, hot flushes)

10. Aim of Service Enhance wellbeing Support ongoing treatment
Alleviate side effects of treatment
Improve Quality of Life
Symptom control
Empower - developing resources / resilience

13. Additional Services Carers – ‘Drop in’, bedside support
Staff – Daily appointment service (charged), Vouchers available through OH as appropriate post illness (free)
Education – Therapists and NHS staff through School of Oncology
Research – National Institute for Health Research
funded studies of interventions offered

15. SC & alcohol support
Interventions provided to patients, carers & staff
Funded by Christie Charity since 2006
Drop-in Clinics Tuesday & Thursday
Referrals for in-patients & outpatients at source
NRT advice (inhalators, lozenge & patches)
Hypnotherapy, acupuncture & other interventions to manage cravings & anxiety
Brief Interventions Training offered to all Christie staff (NICE, 2006)

17. Stress management etc Body and mind
Time out - space to breathe and reflect
Use of touch therapies and Hypnotherapy
Strategies including progressive muscle relaxation(PMR),breathing exercises, mindfulness and aromatherapy

19. Massage & patients (e.g. Wards) - It was like taking a holiday from cancer -
Very relaxing. Can forget about everything. Went into a day dream (P177).
Super idea. Brilliant What people need. Shows people are giving you extra care. (P23).
Feels great now. Managed to switch off. Saves you sitting there, thinking. (P91).
Fantastic, because you are anxious before. It is a nice distraction (P31).
(Mackereth P et al, 2008)

21. Supporting Carers
Supporting the patient includes supporting their family too
This may be at the patient’s bedside OR
‘Drop In’ clinic for carers of out patients

23. ‘Drop in’ clinic for outpatients and carers
Tuesday & Thursday 4 – 6.30 pm
Foot massage or clothed
chair massage – self referral
Guided relaxation (group session)
Acupuncture – Christie Consultant referral

24. Carers Project
I could forget where I am and what’s going on around me. It’s my time! (L2)
It was just great, I found myself not thinking (L3)
Felt like going to bed and having a sleep, feeling calmer (J1)
Got rid of the headache I had, made me feel more relaxed… gave me the best night sleep for a very long time... (P1)
(Mackereth et al, 2005)

25. The sessions eased my neck pain and enabled me to stay at work (102U)
Staff Service Project
The sessions eased my neck pain and enabled me to stay at work (102U)
Happier in my work, time out for me, feeling valued and therefore keen to stay at the Trust (127U)
I have been clinically depressed for 5 years …acupuncture has made me feel normal again (58U)
Have been able to maintain and cope with the demands of my role without having to take more time off (70U)
(Wilson et al, 2007)

26. Summary Complementary therapies can influence every aspect of the
pathway for patients, carers
and staff when used appropriately,
as an integral part of care and provided
by suitably qualified therapists.

27. Contact details Anita Mehrez Thank you for Listening!
Tel:
Thank you for Listening!