The main role of the Guernsey Society for Cancer Relief is to provide assistance to cancer sufferers and their families when the extra financial burdens are beyond the capabilities of the family. We do not ‘Means Test’ which enables us to react very quickly to requests and it allows us to reach more people who are genuinely in need of our help.

Most requests are received through the Palliative Care nurses and the Social Worker, who are part of the Bulstrode Oncology Unit, as well as the Oncology nurses, who deliver almost all of the chemotherapy treatments in the island. Direct approaches from patients are also received.

Our main areas of help are:

• Assistance with travel costs for relatives / carers accompanying a patient for treatment in the UK.
• Contribution towards accommodation costs for relatives / carers staying with a patient in the UK for treatment
• Funding of nursing care at home at night, during the absence of normal carers, so that the patient can spend time or remain at home.
• Complementary therapy when recommended by a health professional.
• Assistance with heating costs (and other utility bills if needed) as patients are often more susceptible to cold.
• ‘Home Helps’ when the patient is unable to manage cleaning their home.
• Provision of taxis for patients to travel to their treatments at the Bulstrode Oncology Unit or back home when no other free transport is available and the use of buses is not easily possible.
• In partnership with other charities, provision of wigs and protheses.
• Assistance with organising aids to help patients at home, for example wheelchairs, hoists, nebulizers, commodes, frames, etc.
• Purchase and distribution of booklets dealing with specific cancers.