The Hamar Help and Support Centre, at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, has been awarded a Macmillan Quality Environment Mark (MQEM) for offering high standards of care for people affected by cancer.
The award, given by Macmillan Cancer Support, is the first in the UK that specifically assesses how well buildings such as chemotherapy and palliative units provide support and care to people affected by cancer.
To celebrate, the Hamar Centre hosted an event on Friday which was attended by staff, volunteers and people affected by cancer, as well as by Councillor Keith Roberts, the Mayor of Shrewsbury, and Martin Beardwell, Acting Chair of The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.
Sara Scott, Administrator at the Hamar Centre, said: “We are thrilled to receive this prestigious award. We couldn’t have done it without the help of the staff and volunteers who work on a daily basis including our therapists, counsellors and fundraisers.
“The work everyone does at the Hamar Centre is phenomenal and goes a long way to helping us maintain high standards of care for people affected by cancer in the region.”
The Macmillan Quality Environment Mark will help to ensure that people affected by cancer are treated and supported in physical environments of uniformly high quality.
The scheme is open to any healthcare providers from the public, voluntary or private sectors that operate cancer care buildings. It has been developed in collaboration with people living with cancer and organisations including the Department of Health in England.
Tudor Humphreys, the Macmillan Development Manager, said: “This award reflects the hard work and dedication of the team that designed the centre and all the staff and volunteers who work to make it a welcoming and supportive environment for patients and their families.
“To receive the award, environments have to score highly in areas such as use of space, comfort and atmosphere, personal and social interaction and health and well being. Consideration is given to such things as the greeting people receive when they come to a centre, the use of natural light and outdoor space, and the availability of quiet, private rooms – all areas that were highlighted as really important by people living with cancer who helped develop the award.”
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