On the pulse

Cancerkin’s news…


Cancerkin heads to the House of Lords!

Cancerkin this week presented its East London Outreach Project at an exciting evening of fundraising at the House of Lords, organised by the Funding Network. We were thrilled to be given the opportunity to speak about our progress and future plans for the project at this prestigious event and would very much like to thank the Funding Network for inviting Cancerkin to take part.


Hyde Park Walk 2011...

As I hope you will all know, Cancerkin’s 8th Hyde Park Walk will take place this year on Sunday 19th June 2011. More information will be sent out to you all very soon regarding the day and registration for the event. In the meantime, please do let all your friends know about Cancerkin’s biggest event of the year! We hope to see plenty of teams of friends, families and colleagues joining the event this year to walk, jog or run twice round the Serpentine together. Now is the time to begin coordinating your own team! If you have any questions about the walk or if you are interested in getting involved in the run up to the big day, please feel free to contact me on 0207 830 2323 or on l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk.


Art therapy classes

We are pleased to announce that Milena Petrova will be returning to Cancerkin to begin a new series of weekly art therapy classes from Tuesday 5th April 2011 from 11am to 1pm. The workshops aim to be a liberating experience for patients where they can discover the freedom to explore their creativity. The workshops use a specific approach to painting on damp paper that allows colour to flow easily and combine into beautiful and spontaneous patterns. No previous artistic experience is necessary.

If you would like to book a place at the workshop, please contact Habeeb on 020 7830 2323 or at h.ahmed@cancerkin.org.uk. Please note these art therapy classes will not take place on Tuesday 26th April and Tuesday 31st May 2011.


In the news…


The Welfare Reform Bill and Cancer Patients

The coalition government’s controversial Welfare Reform Bill, which plans to radically reform the UK’s welfare system, has this week come under serious fire from an alliance of 30 cancer charities. They highlight in a letter to Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, that alterations to the current benefit system could have a detrimental impact on cancer patients who are currently receiving disability living allowance and other incapacity benefits. The bill, which is due to receive its second reading in the House of Commons next Wednesday, proposes to change when and for how long some cancer patients are able to receive certain benefits. The charities argue the government therefore risks leaving tens of thousands of cancer patients worse off and “pushing some into poverty.”

As part of the government’s plans, a new benefit known as Employment support allowance (ESA) will replace a number of existing incapacity benefits. It will require all new and current claimants to undergo ‘work capability assessment’. Any cancer patients claiming ESA would be given a one-year limit for receiving the benefit if they fall into the ‘work-related activity group’, that is if they are expected to return to work after a year. In their letter, the charities point out that many cancer patients are not ready to return to work after this time, stating that 75 percent of patients who could be affected by this policy would still need ESA after one year.

In addition, there are further plans to replace the current disability living allowance, which can be claimed by cancer patients after three months, with the new personal independence payment. Patients will have to wait six months before they can claim this. The letter highlights that the existing three month wait is already highly problematic for many.

The benefits a cancer patient is entitled to receive may also become dependent upon the mode of their treatment. While those receiving conventional chemotherapy will be eligible for the new ‘support group benefit’, which will exclude them from having to look for work, those treated by oral chemotherapy or radiotherapy may be required to have medical assessment and may have to take part in such activities as practice job interviews as a condition of receiving their benefit. The charities point out that, due to medical advances in treatment, more aggressive forms of cancer are increasingly treated with oral chemotherapy. The choice between oral and conventional chemotherapy that some cancer patients are given would directly affect their benefit status.

To read more about this controversial topic, please click here.


Laura Smith 11th March 2011