SGS House
Penthouse Suite
Johns Lane
Tividale
Oldbury B69 3HX

Tel: 0121 612 2939
Fax: 0121 612 2934

Email: bridges.support@nhs.net

Bridges supports people living with cancer at any stage of their illness and people with palliative care needs in Sandwell and parts of Birmingham. Bridges is supported by Macmillan Cancer Support and is a major funding partner together with Sandwell Primary Care Trust, Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust and NHS Birmingham East and North.

Bridges provides a wide range of supportive care throughout a cancer/or end of life journey and support is tailored around individual needs and circumstances.

Bridges Philosophy

Bridges philosophy is embedded in person-centred care, which means the Bridges team is flexible, depending on the needs of a patient or carer. Consequently, Bridges professionals have to play various different roles from being a coordinator to arrange care, an advocate to act on their behalf, a navigator to help people find their way around the systems and pointing them in the right direction or to simply be a companion on their journey.

Support includes:

• domestic care, respite care, information, complementary therapies, volunteer transport support, volunteer befriending support, advocacy support, access to financial support, benefits advice.
• counselling support, refer equipment loans/wheelchair services, support and self help groups, access community services, referral to clinicians – e.g. through Macmillan nurses.
• referral to clinical services – e.g. Hospice at home, spiritual support, bereavement support.
• other support depending on individual needs.

Getting involved with Bridges

There are lots of opportunities for people with life limiting illnesses to get involved with Bridges including:

• membership of the Bridges strategic partnership board, recruitment, contributing to presentations, consultations, taking part in surveys.
• evaluation of the service.
• linking with other user groups and self-help groups.
• promotion of Bridges.

Access criteria

Sandwell Primary Care Trust – people living with cancer and palliative care needs.
Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust – people living with palliative care need.
NHS Birmingham East and North – people living with palliative care needs.

Referral to Bridges

As long as people meet the access criteria as shown above people can refer themselves by telephone or fax (see below for numbers) or they can be referred by a health care professional.

Prospect Hall
12 College Walk
Selly Oak
Birmingham B29 6LE

Tel:0121 415 6670
Fax:0121 415 6699

Email: office@freshwinds.org.uk
Website: www.freshwinds.org.uk

Since 1992 Freshwinds has been offering care and support, without charge, to adults and children living with life threatening and life-limiting illness as well as individuals from socially excluded backgrounds. We deliver a range of services including the provision of integrated complementary therapy, advocacy, employment advice, debt counselling and community based initiatives on HIV, substance misuse and crime.

Our mission statement is:
“To provide a person centred, fully integrated model of care and support, to individuals with life threatening and life limiting illnesses and those experiencing social exclusion, within a caring, safe and secure environment, exploring their circumstances and emotions to find a true resolution to their situation.”

Freshwinds also offer complementary therapy. Click here to find out more about our complementary therapies.

The Courtyard Centre 
Sandwell Hospital
Lyndon,
West Bromwich B71 4H

Contact: The Courtyard Centre
Tel: 0121 507 3792 or 0121 507 3816
Email: cancerinformation@swbh.nhs.uk

Headstrong is a confidential, free service run by specially trained Breast Cancer Care volunteers for those suffering hair loss as a result of cancer treatment (for any type of cancer, not just breast cancer). Volunteers offer practical information and support around hair loss due to cancer treatment, on an individual appointment basis. Headstrong appointments take place on Wednesday afternoons at the Courtyard Centre, main reception, Sandwell Hospital and last up to an hour. 

City Hospital
Dudley Road
Birmingham B18 7QH

Contact: The Courtyard Centre on 0121 507 3792 or 0121 507 3816
E-mail: cancerinformation@swbh.nhs.uk

Look Good…Feel Better workshops are held monthly at City Hospital, Birmingham. 

The service offers practical help to women undergoing treatments for cancer, which can dramatically change their appearance and body image such as loss of hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. During the free two-hour workshop, trained beauticians guide patients through a 12-step skincare and make-up regime and, as an added bonus, everyone is given a complementary gift bag of products to take home at the end of the session. 

Weoley Castle Library 
76 Beckbury Road 
Birmingham B29 5HR 
Contact: 0121 464 1664

Informal weekly reading group aimed at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham cancer patients and other long-term patients.
The group meets on Tuesday afternoons from 21st Sept 2010 at 14:00-15:30. There is no charge for attending the group. 

We’ll be reading aloud from some great stories and poems. If you don’t fancy reading, you can just sit back and enjoy listening and sharing the discussion. Reading and taking part in a reading group is seen increasingly as an effective boost to health and well-being. 

Members of other groups said: 

‘Reading pushes the pain away into a place where it no longer seems important.’

‘It’s so important to have something to get up for, and to structure your week. I was awake at 6 o’clock looking forward to meeting today.’

TONI&GUY - Birmingham
Unit 12 & 13 Caxtongate
5 Cannon Street
Birmingham
West Midlands B2 5EP     

Tel: 0121 631 3333

People affected by cancer can receive specialist hair care advice under a partnership launched by TONI&GUY with Macmillan Cancer Support called Strength in Style.

Strength in Style, which is available in Birmingham has been developed to offer men, women and children affected by cancer specialist support and advice on hair care.

The Birmingham TONI&GUY salon is one of 66 across the UK to offer this new service.

Staff at the salon have undergone intensive training covering everything a stylist needs to know about speaking to people affected by cancer, ensuring they are better equipped to deal with the emotional and practical issues surrounding the sensitive nature of hair loss and the effects of treatment on hair and wig styling and cutting.

Staff will also be fundraising throughout the year to raise money to help Macmillan reach and improve the lives of even more people affected by cancer. 

130 Colmore Row, 
Birmingham B3 3AP

Opening hours: Monday - Friday 09:30-16:30
Monday - Friday 10:00-16:00
Helpline: 0121 675 8000

Email: helpline@birminghamcarerscentre.org.uk
Website: www.birminghamcarerscentre.org.uk

The Birmingham Carers Centre is a organisation dedicated to carers aged over 18, throughout the Birmingham region. Some of the services we offer are: benefit queries, advocacy, form filling, carer assessment advice and advice on grants. We also have a short break officer that can help find carers, grants and funding towards holidays and respite. We also hold monthly free 30mins Solicitor sessions where carers can seek legal advice. The centre also offers varied activities for carers to participate in such as day trips, tai chi, arts and crafts, aromatherapy and laughter therapy.