Clan to provide support to patients and visitors in RACH
Clan Cancer Support is providing its support services at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (RACH), enabling children and families affected by cancer to access free emotional support and NHS aligned complimentary therapies.
A dedicated team from the leading cancer support charity will be based within the children’s oncology ward and the day clinic, with trained therapists providing bedside treatments including reiki and oncology massage to alleviate discomfort and promote wellbeing
Professionally qualified practitioners from Clan’s Children and Family Services (CFS) team will also be on hand to offer therapeutic support to children and young people in the ward, providing a safe space to express and navigate any feelings about their diagnosis.
Trained volunteers will also be available to provide Clan’s renowned listening and support service to any visiting family or friends who are impacted by a cancer diagnosis and to signpost them to services available within their communities
The charity has been working in partnership with RACH since 2019, alongside Young Lives vs Cancer and The Archie Foundation who are permanently based within the hospital, to identify and establish Clan’s complementary role as a support for patients and visitors.
Kay Johnston, head of cancer support services at Clan Cancer Support, said: “Clan has built strong bonds with the staff at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital over the years and we are delighted to strengthen this partnership through the inhouse provision of our services to patients and their loved ones.
“Our skilled team caters to the needs of each individual, offering emotional support to reduce anxiety and stress, specialist therapeutic support to enable young people to build resilience and promote positive family communication and complementary therapies which align with those available on the NHS, designed to support the physical and emotional side effects of treatment.
“We look forward to working with the staff, patients their families and visitors at the hospital to ensure we provide the best possible continuation of care and strengthen their ability to cope with the effects of a cancer diagnosis.”
Clan has committed to attending the hospital every three weeks with further support available at Clan’s eleven community bases across the north-east, Moray, Orkney and Shetland.
Clan has been providing emotional and practical support to people affected by a cancer diagnosis for almost forty years. The charity offers a range of services including listening and support, children and family services, complementary therapies and health and wellbeing expertise.
For more information about Clan’s services and for details on when the charity will be attending RACH, please contact the team at cfs@clancancersupport.org
