Yorkshire Cancer Research centre to give personalised exercise plan to help patients' recovery
A centre where cancer patients are given personalised exercise plans to boost their chances of a good recovery has opened in Hull – thanks to a 100-year-old charity.
On Monday the first patient – or as Yorkshire Cancer Research prefer to call them “Active Together” member – walked through the doors of the centre in 6,000sq ft of former office space on Ferensway near the Paragon Transport Interchange, following a £849,000 upgrade.
It has a team including physiotherapists, fitness instructors, dieticians and psychologists, and is one of nine, run by the charity – which receives no government funding and relies on the generosity of its supporters. Its opening was prompted by the city's concerning cancer statistics. More than one in four cancers in Hull are discovered only after an emergency hospital admission, the second highest rate in the country.
There is growing research evidence that exercise before, during and after cancer treatment can improve the effectiveness of other treatments, increase long-term survival – and help stop the cancer coming back.
In its first phase it is focusing on people with cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts, as well as bowel cancer. Referrals are already coming in from doctors at Castle Hill Hospital, which covers a huge geographic area stretching into north eastern Lincolnshire.
Newcomers will find a welcoming space where natural colours, fabrics and furnishings – even a wall of dried moss – have been carefully chosen to put them at their ease.
There is a spacious exercise studios and consultation rooms where people can get assessments and advice on exercise, nutrition and wellbeing and a place where they can relax and make their own hot drinks.
There are also facilities where instructors can give a class or other advice remotely on a screen to those who cannot come in person.
Dr Rajarshi Roy, consultant in oncology at the Queen's Centre, Castle Hill Hospital said asking people to attend a class after a cancer diagnosis, or going through treatment, might seem counter-intuitive.
"However, in recent years, several research studies have conclusively shown that monitored regular exercise which does not put undue stress on a patient's physical and mental health can play a significant role in making cancer treatments work better, helping patients stay cancer-free for longer, improving wellbeing, and delivering improved quality of life with better survival.”
He said: "I warmly welcome this YCR initiative to Hull and expect a good proportion of our patients to benefit from it directly; in turn, they may be able to encourage positive lifestyle changes among family and friends too, so multiplying the effect into wider society."
YCR project manager Lucy Couth said it was important that the space didn't feel clinical to people who've spent a lot of time in hospitals. She added: “The charity really wanted something in Hull because the incidence rates are higher and the outcomes are poorer.”