Macmillan Information and Support Centre - Macclesfield Hospital

24/09/2025

Have you set yours up yet?

Paul Mills was the 1000th patient to sign up to MyChristie and was assisted by Oladipo Oni, one of our team of digital trainers.

Oladipo explained how to access the patient portal, went through the health questionnaire, outlined where documents are stored and how to see letters and appointments.

"I think MyChristie is really useful and it’s important that everyone knows more about it. It can be easy to lose focus when you're a patient, so having someone to show you how to use the portal is really helpful. I’ve completed my questionnaire already and I know it will be helpful going forward to keep appointments and my health history in one place," says Paul.

MyChristie is in the first phase of development and further functionality is planned over forthcoming months. This includes access to bloods closer to home appointments, CT and MR appointments, and links to the NHS app.

🔗 https://bit.ly/47Dfh3k

22/09/2025

Let them eat cake…

The countdown is on. Join us this Friday 26th September for our Macmillan Coffee Morning.

We will be selling fabulous homemade cakes in the east entrance of Macclesfield Hospital and in our Information and Support Centre at The Christie at Macclesfield. 10am until 1pm.

Help us raise lots of money for Macmillan to keep on helping those affected by cancer.

Donations of cakes welcome. These can be dropped off on Thursday to our Macmillan information centre in The Christie at Macclesfield - just no fresh cream please.

Raffle tickets available to purchase for some wonderful prizes.

18/09/2025

Today is the very first World Menopause and Cancer Awareness Day!

This new awareness day has been created by our friends at to shine a spotlight on one of the most overlooked gaps in cancer care: the impact of treatment-induced menopause.

At Shine we know how many younger people are affected by sudden, early menopause after cancer treatment - and how tough it can be to find the right support.

📊 Research from shows:
🔸 90% of people were not given a plan for managing menopause after treatment
🔸 9 in 10 said symptoms significantly affect their quality of life
🔸 Only 3% felt adequately supported by healthcare professionals

This isn’t just about symptoms - it’s about quality of life, fertility, and long-term health.

We’re proud to support this campaign, and today we’ll also be sharing some of our own resources to help anyone navigating menopause after cancer.

17/09/2025

And we thank you very much 😊💚

17/09/2025

Last year we planted a memorial tree at our Withington site to mark the first National Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers Lost to Su***de. All colleagues and visitors can visit the tree and memorial plaque, located near the Oak Road entrance in front of wards 14 and 15, as a quiet space for reflection.

This year we invite everyone, wherever you are, to take a moment today to remember those we have lost and to reflect on how we can continue to support one another.

As part of this year’s reflections, we are sharing a poem written by Dr Daniel Anderson, whose work has been instrumental in supporting this campaign.

At the Memorial Tree
by Dr Daniel Anderson

We stand together in the stillness of this place.
The tree holds our silence,
its branches carrying the weight of names we cannot speak without pain.
We remember the lives of our colleagues
who gave themselves to the care of others,
yet whose own suffering grew too heavy to bear.
They were clinicians, teachers, researchers, friends and colleagues,
their absence felt in every ward, every clinic, every home.
Today we honour them.
We acknowledge the struggle that so often remains hidden.
We promise to look more gently at one another,
to listen more deeply, more compassionately
to hold one another with the care we all deserve.
This tree roots their memory into our shared ground,
living witness to grief,
and to our commitment that they will not be forgotten.

If you, or someone you know, is struggling, call 111 or visit the NHS website for support.

11/09/2025

Living with prostate cancer can have a physical, emotional and practical impact on your life and the lives of those close to you.

Even if you have stopped treatment, you might still have side effects, or worry about your cancer coming back. It can be hard to move on, and that is completely
normal to feel.

📒 Our newly updated booklet discusses ways to manage the effects of the disease and its treatment, as well as things you can do to improve your lifestyle, wellbeing and everyday life.

➡️ Download it here: bit.ly/42dWgAO

11/09/2025

So, you’ve had months of treatment; the agonising decision making, trauma of maybe multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, followed by adjuvant medication which changes your body in ways you cannot imagine. Your body has been irreversibly scarred due to a double mastectomy (with or without implants). You are sick and tired of hospital appointments, letters arriving with dates that will be etched into your mind forever.

Then, out of nowhere, a letter drops through your door calling you for routine mammogram screening.

“What? I literally have no breast tissue!”

Try to imagine how this feels. Triggering? Insulting? Hurtful? This can happen on an annual basis, time and time again, for many years beyond treatment. So, after all you’ve faced, this reminder that you have no breasts still comes to find you and demands action.

Some ladies feel safer knowing they are still in the system, but for many, this simple letter can stir up all kinds of trauma, frustration and anger.

Here we ask; how are women who have had bilateral mastectomies monitored? Shouldn’t there be an option for ultrasound at the very least?

A few have looked into having themselves removed from the list. However, the wording of the opt-out form is inflammatory and unsatisfactory. It feels dismissive of the very people the screening is trying to protect. Currently, there is nowhere on this system to record that our breasts have been hastily removed, hoping to save our life.

From another aspect, sending appointment letters out to ladies who are not able to use this type of screening is very wasteful; in time, money and resources - all of this could be avoided by adding a simple tick box on the database for “bilateral mastectomy” and the date of surgery.

These ladies will also be included in the statistics that show, the often discussed, poor uptake of breast screening, therefore skewing the figures. The statistics in breast cancer are already poorly tracked without this added issue.

It is simple yet complicated but certainly an unnecessary, extra, hassle to deal with on top of the numerous hurdles we already face.

Surely it would make sense to improve efficiency and avoid upset?

11/09/2025

01/09/2025

Proud to be providing information and support at The Christie at Macclesfield.

We are fortunate to be able to offer treatment closer to home for many people living in Macclesfield and surrounding areas saving them having to go all the way to Manchester.

The Christie has been re-accredited as a comprehensive cancer centre by the OECI Organisation of European Cancer Institutes.

This achievement shows that we meet the highest international standards in all aspects of cancer care, including treatment, research and education.

The peer review team also praised the people they spoke to, describing them as "highly motivated, striving for excellence and with a clear objective of patient-centred care."

The Christie was the first hospital in the UK to be invited to join the OECI in 2008, as well as the first in the country to be accredited as a comprehensive cancer centre.

01/09/2025

If you go down to the woods today… or better still pop in and see us for our Coffee Morning on Friday 26th September you can buy a raffle ticket which means you could win one of these absolutely gorgeous bears.

These bears have been so kindly and generously made by a patient having treatment here at The Christie.

We will be sad to part with them.

28/08/2025

A support group with a difference. This Saturday 30th August.

Moving more with cancer is highly beneficial before, during and after treatment as physical activity can improve fatigue, mood, strength and quality of life while also helping to manage treatment side effects. It can help to reduce stress, depression and anxiety. Getting started can be hard. The lovely ambassadors and volunteers at Macclesfield 5k Your Way, Move Against Cancer can help you make that start.

You can walk, jog, run, cheer, volunteer or meet up with others for coffee and cake in the Park Tavern, Macclesfield afterwards.

Find out more: https://www.moveagainstcancer.org/5k-your-way/ or turn up to the bandstand in South Park, Macclesfield at 08:45 on the last Saturday of every month.

Similar schemes operate in Wilmslow and Northwich.

Join us this Saturday (30th August) at 8:45am at the Bandstand, South Park for Macclesfield parkrun 5k Your Way - MOVE Against Cancer Charity.

Whether you are living with or beyond cancer, we welcome you; along with family, friends, and anyone working in cancer services. Join us to walk, jog, run, cheer or volunteer - it’s completely up to you! 🏃🚶‍♀️🦺

Meet us by the blue flag & join us for coffee and cake afterwards at The Park Tavern. ☕️🧁

We are a FREE cancer support group with a difference. Find more info about what we do here: https://www.moveagainstcancer.org

❓If you have any questions, please contact us via email at [email protected] or via Facebook Messenger.

Looking forward seeing you all on Saturday! ☺️💙