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Endorsement
I am very happy to support the work of The Harmony Therapy Trust. Having worked at Medway Hospital for 14 years as a breast CNS I referred many patients for this wonderful service. My patients have greatly benefitted from this free service.
It has helped them in various ways to not only cope with diagnosis, but also whilst having treatments.
Many patients have since gone on to continue having alternative therapy treatments. It has helped many patients to feel "spoilt" and helped them to return to normal daily life
I have been working here at the Nuffield since the end of June 2015 and my patients here are extremely grateful for this service.
It helps with anxiety and stress related to their cancer and treatments.
I am extremely grateful to Harmony Trust for all they proviode.
Breast Cancer Nurse Specialist Medway Maritime & KIMS Hospitals
As a regular referrer for patients to The Harmony Therapy Trust I see the benefits these therapies have for our patients who have had breast cancer surgery and other ongoing treatments such as chemotherapy.
The feedback has been excellent and help with the overall sense of wellbeing as well as to control some of the side effects of their cancer treatment. These sessions are of significant benefit to patients and it would be such a shame if we could not continue to offer because of lack of funding.
Breast Cancer Nurse Specialist
I have referred a number of patients and they have found having aromatherapy or reflexology a great help when they are having treatment to relax them. I have also had a couple of patients who have treatment for lymphoedema via your service. This is a therapy that is in short supply on the NHS and if these women had not had access to this via The Harmony Therapy Trust they may not have received help until the condition was too advanced.
From another Cancer Nurse Specialist, William Harvey Hospital
From each time we have referred our patients to The Harmony Therapy Trust, we have had feedback from the patients that they have received excellent service in both the management of symptoms and also the psychological benefit of having the therapist's input. Equally, my SLT staff have also stated that your staff have been responsive and efficient in dealing with our requests, for which we are very grateful.
In a context of reduced NHS resources, the Trust has been invaluable in continuing and extending therapy most desperately required for our patients.
From the Lead Speech & Language Therapy Specialist, Darenth Valley Hospital
The patients we refer will have been treated for life threatening conditions which have left them with temporary or permanent physical, psychological, emotional, financial and social issues. To be offered free complementary therapy in their own homes to enable them to take time out, to have "me time" and relax benefits them immensely.
Patients report improvement in some of all of these issues. It helps them get back in the real world, which for them after diagnosis and treatment is a new real world.
We are most grateful for the fantastic help and support you have provided our patients.
Macmillan Breast Care Nurse Specialist, Kent & Canterbury Hospital
My role is a nurse case manager looking after people in their own homes who suffer from long term conditions and those who need general support to remain in their own home. I work for GP services across Strood and have six other colleagues who cover the rest of Medway.
I have referred many patients to The Harmony Therapy Trust and most patient's initial reaction is total surprise that something is available to them that does not involve taking medication and is free, as well as not having to travel to receive the service.
Many of these patients are on multiple medications and are high users of NHS services. They are so pleased to have something that is just for them and is not going to give them side effects. We are all told our care should be holistic but in the busy day of a GP, hospital doctor and even nurse we are so concentrated on a medical approach that we tend to forget the benefits of complementary therapies.
The feedback from patients I have referred has been so positive and they cannot express enough what a difference it has made to their usually stressful lives, many have commented that they have a wonderful nights sleep after treatment and others say for the first time in ages they have actually been able to relax.
They all comment on how lovely the therapists are and that they feel they have made a new friend.
The service provided is very undervalued and should receive a lot more publicity as well as funding from lottery and other sources, many local supermarkets have charities they support and also Medway Community Healthcare as a social enterprise would be worth approaching as their policy is non profit making and putting funds back into community services.
There is such a great need for this service and I could refer so many more who would benefit if the referral criteria was widened, so many people suffer from severe anxiety and as such are very high users of out of hours and ambulance services without there being a real medical need. If these people could be offered something such as reflexology I am sure demand would decrease therefore saving the NHS money.
The Harmony Therapy Trust offers something different for people which is personal to them and should in my opinion receive more publicity and proper funding.
From GP Nurse, Case Manager in Strood and Medway
I have referred 20 or so women who are in the middle of or recovering from breast cancer treatment over the last 3 years or so to The Harmony Trust. Without exception, they have been helped greatly by the complementary therapy offered to help them cope with both the side effects of the treatment, and the wider effects of the illness on their minds and bodies. There is nothing similar in the area and The Harmony Therapy Trust have provided truly holistic treatments which have provided a ray of sunshine in the middle of a dark time for my patients. With the best will in the world, my cancer specific treatments often causes as much trouble as benefit and it is wonderful to be able to recommend something that will be able to help their minds and bodies, and that has no side effects.
From our Patron Dr Charlotte Abson, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Kent Oncolgy Centre