Funding from Bay Hospitals Charity has helped to extend the availability of massage and aromatherapy services for cancer patients in the care of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust until next spring. 

Massage and aromatherapy services have been offered by CancerCare at Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Westmorland General Hospital and Furness General Hospital since 2014. 

The service is jointly funded by Bay Hospitals Charity and Rosemere Cancer Foundation, which have each pledged around £27,000 to extend funding until the end of March 2024. 

Bay Hospitals Charity Head of Charities and Fundraising Suzanne Lofthouse said: “We’re delighted to have been able to share the cost of maintaining this valuable service for another year. 

“Donations from our supporters mean that we can continue to fund additional services like this that help to make the people our hospitals care for so much more comfortable and assist in supporting their mental and physical wellbeing.” 

Aromatherapy and massage treatments are offered to cancer patients both to improve wellbeing through relaxation, and to treat those who develop lymphoedema. 

The condition can be caused by cancer treatment, and leads to swelling in the body’s tissues, usually in the arms and legs. It can be treated through a massage technique called Simple Lymphatic Drainage (SLD), which controls swelling by encouraging excess fluid in the tissues to move towards healthy lymph vessels.  

The service is delivered at all three hospitals, and used by more than 500 people a year across Morecambe Bay area. 

CancerCare aromatherapist Susannah Cogger said: “We couldn’t keep offering this without the charities’ support.  

“The hospital pays, obviously, for all the things people need, so the charity part of it is for the extras – just to make people’s lives, at such a difficult time, to be slightly more comfortable.  

“It’s those little extras that really make a difference.” 

A user of the service said: “My life is very painful, and I don’t do a lot or get out much, so I love my foot massage – it really helps actually. 

“It’s just one thing that feels nice, rather than everything that’s hurting. Life gets so difficult when you’re in this situation, so every help you can get is a bonus.” 

Bay Hospitals Charity funds the latest equipment for University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust to help make patients more comfortable and ensure they get the best possible care and treatment. 

To donate and support your local NHS hospital, contact Bay Hospitals Charity on 01524 516064 or email [email protected] 

Donations can also be made at bayhospitalscharity.org