Cancer patients who have been shielding throughout lockdown will be supported going forward thanks to the charity Macmillan.

Macmillan's information and support service manager, Hilary Kendal has been hard at work throughout lockdown helping people seeking support and advice, signposting both patients and carers to the best place to help them.

Before the outbreak of Covid-19, Hilary was based at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle.

She said support always on hand at the end of a phone has been valuable to those who have been shielding since March.

“A lot of people in Cumbria live in remote areas and could be in danger of becoming totally isolated, but I think our communities, and the Cumbria Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) have done a wonderful job in making sure that people are looked after and don’t feel cut off.

“While shielding has been in the best interests of those most vulnerable, it has seriously affected the mental health of some patients.

"Many want to try and continue as normally as possible even whilst having treatment, and carry on with daily activities, but they’ve been greatly restricted by shielding.

“One person told me that it’s vital to have phone contact and that she doesn’t know how she’d have coped without it and is grateful for the calls to both her and her friend who does the shopping.

“This lady doesn’t have a computer or tablet, doesn’t do email or social media, but used to go out every day for some ‘people contact’ prior to covid-19.

"I have spoken to people who had reached the stage where they would look forward to visits to the doctors or hospital because it meant they got to go off into the outside world.

“The calls I’ve had over the shielding period have been more in-depth with people asking about how long they should be shielding following surgery or completion of treatment, and I’ve referred these to the clinical teams who will have a more comprehensive answer than I do.

“I’ve also had calls asking about procedures before surgery that I’ve directed to the medical secretaries and clinical teams.

“I spoke to one man who was due to have surgery the following day and hadn’t told his elderly mother about what was happening because he didn’t want to worry her, but he knew that she was worrying anyway because she realised there was something he wasn’t telling her. Again, giving people the space, and almost permission, to talk around a lot of issues before coming to their own conclusion is at the heart of what we do. Sometimes I don’t have to say a lot because I’m providing somewhere safe for those thoughts to be voiced.

“Other calls and emails have been around access to benefits, and I can point people to our Macmillan advisers around the county.

“I’ve also started to broaden conversations and see if there’s other information I can provide and I offer to phone people again just for a chat. This offer has been taken up by a couple of people and is something I’m hoping to develop with my volunteer team once we return to the centre.

“We welcome calls, texts or emails from people who want more advice, information, or even for a chat."

“We are here for all those in need of support, we know this is a difficult time for not just those with cancer, but their families too. We hope that by offering our support virtually, we can still have a positive impact for those who need us.’

Hilary and her team can be contacted on 01228 814283 or 07721 236489.

The can also be contacted via email at cancerinformation@ncic.nhs.uk.